On Wednesday, her announcement that she will soon leave her position as the company's number two executive sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley.
Meta COO Will Leave the Company
According to The Verge, Sandberg says that her decision to leave Meta is because the executive team at the company has been built up to make way for her departure, and that she wants to focus on philanthropy and women's rights.
"There's no perfect time. It is a job that's been an honor and a privilege, but it's not a job that leaves a lot of time to do much else. And I really wanted to make more room in my life to do philanthropy, to work with my foundation," said Sandberg.
CNET reported that Sandberg will remain on Meta's board of directors but will step down in the fall.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Facebook that the tech giant's chief growth officer, Javier Olivan, will take over as COO. He did, however, emphasize that the company has no plans to change Sandberg's role in its current structure because she established it in her own way.
Challenges Meta Has Been Currently Facing
Sandberg's exit comes after Meta was embroiled in a series of privacy and misinformation issues, as per the report of CNET. The Exec, a 14-year corporate veteran, has not been without controversy, and has faced criticism that Facebook executives were slow to respond to Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
In recent months, Meta has focused on developing the metaverse, or virtual worlds where individuals may connect, play, and work. As part of this endeavour, it has increased its investment in virtual and augmented reality. However, moderating unpleasant information such as harassment and hate speech in virtual worlds would most certainly be more difficult than on social media.
An Analyst Said It Might Be the Best Time for Sandberg To Depart From Meta
Insider Intelligence principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson stated that Meta has also been struggling with business difficulties such as a decrease in user growth and ad revenue. In February, Facebook reported a loss in daily users for the first time in the company's history, sending its shares down more than 26%.
"The company needs to find a new way forward, and perhaps this was the best time for Sandberg to depart," Williamson said.
Sandberg's Career Before She Joined Meta
Sandberg was Google's vice president of global online sales and operations before joining Facebook. She also served as the chief of staff to former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008, where she helped the social media behemoth in expanding its multibillion-dollar advertising business.
Following the release of her best-selling book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead in 2013, she was hailed as a feminist icon by some.
After her husband, Dave Goldberg, the CEO of SurveyMonkey, died unexpectedly from heart difficulties in 2017, she wrote her second book, Option B, about overcoming adversity, CNET reported.
