Less than two years after leaving her executive role at Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg is set to step down from the board of Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Serving as the chief operating officer, Sandberg was among the board members who helped structure and boost Facebook’s digital advertising business model in 2008 when it was still a fledgling startup. The 54-year-old who stepped down as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook in 2022 after more than 14 years in the role shared the news on her Facebook page. Expressing that “the Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this feels like the right time to step away.” Sheryl Sandberg will be resigning from Meta’s board in May 2024.
Although she is relinquishing her board position, Sandberg will maintain ties with Meta by serving as an advisor and pledging ongoing support to the company’s teams, as mentioned in her post. She expressed gratitude to Mark Zuckerberg, acknowledging him as a visionary leader and a steadfast friend who stood by her during both joyful and challenging times. Zuckerberg reciprocated the sentiment in a comment, expressing anticipation for the next chapter together.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO and founder of Meta, expressed anticipation for “a new chapter together.” Sandberg, formerly the right-hand woman to Zuckerberg, held a prominent position as one of the company’s most controversial executives who faced various oppositions. And was the subject of intense public argument during her tenure, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal and concerns about user data mining for advertising purposes.
Before Facebook, Sandberg held roles as Vice President at Google and Chief of Staff for the US Treasury Department under Bill Clinton. She wrote the popular 2013 book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead which garnered both acclaim and criticism. The book went on to inspire a generation of working women while facing scrutiny for overlooking the struggles of single parents and women of color. Despite the controversies, Sandberg remains a recognized and successful figure in corporate America, breaking barriers in an industry historically dominated by men.