Sheryl Sandberg, the former chief operating officer (COO) of Meta Platforms, is stepping down from the company’s board of directors after her term ends in May, Reuters reports.
«The Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this seems like the right time for me to step down,» Sandberg said in a Facebook post, adding that he will continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the company.
Sandberg’s decision comes after he spent more than 14 years as chief operating officer of parent company Facebook and Instagram, along with 12 years on its board of directors. Sandberg stepped down as head of Meta operations in 2022.
The company’s second-in-command alongside founder Mark Zuckerberg, Sandberg was one of the company’s most visible executive figures and the chief architect of its often criticized ad-based business model. He has been a staunch supporter of Facebook during its many controversies, consistently arguing that executives learn from their mistakes and improve the company’s tools to more effectively fight harmful content.
Before joining Facebook, Sandberg was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google and chief of staff for the United States Department of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. A graduate of Harvard University, Sandberg is the author of several books, including the feminist manifesto Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, published in 2013.
