Meta: Sheryl Sandberg Announces To Leave Facebook

So far it is clear who is in charge of the social media giant Facebook and Meta, namely Mark Zuckerberg. It was equally clear who was next, Sheryl Sandberg. But the powerful manager has now announced that she is leaving the company.

From the outside, it looks like this news will come as a shock, but insiders aren’t surprised that Sandberg is leaving Meta, as she announced on Facebook. Those familiar with the company have long wondered when what is arguably the most important woman in the IT business will retire from the social media giant — but there was hardly a question mark whether.

Drew Pusateri, who recently left Meta’s communications team, wrote: Twitter that this was “an incredibly shocking departure for pretty much everyone at the company.” Now, after 14 years, Sheryl Sandberg has confirmed she will be leaving Meta this fall. She will remain with the company for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. However, she is not leaving the company entirely, as Sandberg will retain her seat on Meta’s board of directors.

End of an era on Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg described the departure of his number 2 in one Facebook post as the “end of an era”, Sandberg could not be directly replaced. That’s why Meta won’t try that either, so there won’t be such an obvious deputy function in the future. Formally, Sandberg will be replaced by the previous Chief Growth Officer, Javier Olivan, who will also receive the title of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In the future, Sandberg wants to focus on her philanthropic work and her foundation, which aims to support women and strengthen their rights. In an interview with The verge she said: “It’s a very critical moment for women and it’s very important to me that I now have the opportunity to do more.”