Sheryl Sandberg Steps Down as Facebook Exec

WASHINGTON — Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg announced she is leaving the company this fall after 14 years.

“Fourteen years later, it is time for me to write the next chapter of my life,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I am not entirely sure what the future will bring — I have learned no one ever is. But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever given how critical this moment is for women.” 

Besides the company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, Sandberg is one of the most recognizable executives of the company since she started in 2008.

Throughout her time as a top executive, the company that started as “The Facebook” has grown around the world to include other social media and messaging platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

In more recent years she’s had to oversee issues surrounding misinformation and make decisions about the company’s use policies.

“To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement. But it should be hard,” she wrote about the challenges she has faced.

“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. Just as I believe wholeheartedly in our mission, our industry, and the overwhelmingly positive power of connecting people, I and the dedicated people of Meta have felt our responsibilities deeply,” she wrote. “I know that the extraordinary team at Meta will continue to work tirelessly to rise to these challenges and keep making our company and our community better.”

In her goodbye note, Sandberg highlighted her work to change Facebook’s culture of working late into the night. With two young children at home, she wanted to leave by 5:30 p.m.

“More out of necessity than bravery, I found my nerve and walked out early anyway. Then, supported by Mark, I found my voice to admit this publicly and then talk about the challenges women face in the workplace,” she wrote. “My hope was to make this a bit easier for others and help more women believe they can and should lead.”

As she leaves Facebook, Sandberg’s focus will be on the ​​Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, named in part after her late husband, where she will focus on gender equality in the workplace and helping people build resilience. She also will spend time with her family after getting married this summer, she said.

She will still continue serving on the company’s board of directors, she said.

Madeline can be reached at [email protected] and @MadelineHughes