Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg plans to step down from her position on the company's board after her term ends in May, she said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“Meta Business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this seems like the right time to step away,” Sandberg, 54, said in the post, adding that she will serve as an advisor to the company.
In response to Sandberg, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he was looking forward to “a new chapter together.”
Sandberg's decision came after she served more than 14 years as the company's chief operating officer and 12 years on its board. During her time as COO, the company acquired strong companies such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
In 2022, Sandberg married CEO Tom Bernthal for the third time. The Harvard graduate was married to a man named Brian Kraff for a year between 1993 and 1994.
In 2004 she married Yahoo executive Dave Goldberg and the couple had two children together, a son and a daughter. Goldberg tragically died of an undiagnosed heart condition while vacationing in Mexico in 2015, aged just 47.
Meta's former COO, Sheryl Sandberg, plans to step down from her position on the company's board after her term expires in May
When she announced her departure, Sandberg posted this undated photo of herself with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
Sandberg pictured with her husband Tom Bernthal at the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho in July 2023
Sandberg, once deputy to founder Zuckerberg, was one of the company's most visible executives and the chief architect of its oft-criticized, advertising-based business model.
Sandberg has often been on the defensive and publicly supported the company after scandals such as the spread of misinformation surrounding the 2016 presidential election, Cambridge Analytica and its role in the Capitol riots in January 2021.
Sandberg stepped down from her position as Meta's operations manager in 2022.
In her Facebook post announcing the departure, Sandberg said she had a “heart full of gratitude and a mind full of memories.”
Before joining Facebook, Sandberg was vice president of global online sales and operations at Google and chief of staff at the U.S. Treasury Department under former President Bill Clinton.
Sandberg is a graduate of Harvard University and the author of several books, including the 2013 feminist manifesto Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.
Zuckerberg responded to Sandberg's post with a short reply, thanking her for her work.
“Thank you, Sheryl, for the extraordinary contributions you have made to our company and our community over the years. “Your dedication and leadership have been instrumental to our success and I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to me and Meta over the years,” he said.
Sandberg often found himself on the defensive and publicly supported the company after scandals such as the spread of misinformation surrounding the 2016 presidential election
Sandberg pictured with her late former husband David Goldberg at the Sun Valley conference in 2013
Her departure comes at a time when Facebook is struggling to maintain market share due to the growth of youth-oriented social media apps, particularly TikTok.
The company also faces challenges thanks to Apple's new privacy laws, which could significantly impact Meta's advertising-based business model.
In its report on Sandberg's departure, the Financial Times noted that the executive had “fueled speculation about a possible entry into politics.”
Sandberg is a longtime Democrat and was chief of staff to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers during his time in the Clinton administration.
The Washington native was also an active supporter of Hillary Clinton's ill-fated 2016 presidential campaign and donated millions to abortion advocates nationwide after the Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned in 2022.
Although she never publicly supported President Joe Biden in 2020, Sandberg said she would likely vote for a Democrat over Donald Trump.
After Hamas's brutal October 7 attack on Israel and the taking of Jewish hostages, Sandberg loudly called for the return of the prisoners and pointed out the sexual violence committed by terrorists during the attack.
Sandberg's husband is also a veteran of Bill Clinton's administration, where he served in the communications office before moving to NBC News, where he had a successful career as a producer.