The chief operating officer (COO) for Facebook-parent company Meta is stepping down from her 14-year position with the social media company, she announced Wednesday.
Sheryl Sandberg said she is quitting as Mark Zuckerberg’s longtime COO and plans to focus her time on charity work, according to a statement on her Facebook page.
“The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days. To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement,” Sandberg wrote. “But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe.”
Sandberg helped turn the company profitable, but has recently been under criticism for reportedly pressuring the Daily Mail to neutralize negative stories about her then-boyfriend, the CEO of Activism Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Feels like forever ago but WSJ reported it in late April https://t.co/4sKAEbL0pQ
— Taylor Hatmaker (@tayhatmaker) June 1, 2022
Zuckerberg confirmed Sandberg’s departure in a Facebook post where he called her an “amazing person, leader, partner, and friend.” (RELATED: Missouri Bill Would Prevent ‘Zuckbucks’ From Flooding Local Election Offices)
“It’s the end of an era. After 14 years, my good friend and partner Sherly Sandberg is stepping down as COO of Meta,” Zuckerberg wrote.
“I’m sad that the day is coming when I won’t get to work as closely with Sheryl. But more than anything, I’m grateful for everything she has done to build Meta. She has done so much for me, for our community, and for the world – and we’re all better off for it,” Zuckerberg added.
Meta does not plan to replace Sandberg’s role but announced Javier Olivan would become the company’s newly redefined chief operating officer once Sandberg leaves in the fall.
Zuckerberg said Olivan’s new position will be “a more traditional COO role” that “will be focused internally and operationally.”