Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO, to step down from Meta board

Sheryl Sandberg will step down from the board of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, in May. The 54-year-old announced the news — where else — on her Facebook page, in a post that explained that "the Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this feels like the right time to step away."

In 2022, Sandberg stepped down as COO of the company, a role she had held for more than 14 years. When Mark Zuckerberg hired her to join the startup known as Facebook in March 2008, it was not yet profitable. Under her guidance, the company adopted advertising models that transformed it into a modern monolith.

Sandberg may be stepping down from its board, but she isn't cutting all her ties with Meta. She will still serve as an advisor to the company, and "will always be there to help the Meta teams," she wrote in her post.

She also extended her thanks to Zuckerberg, writing "I will always be grateful to Mark for believing in me and for his partnership and friendship; he is that truly once-in-a-generation visionary leader and he is equally amazing as a friend who stays by your side through the good times and the bad." Sandberg has credited Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan as integral to her dealing with the sudden death of her husband in 2015.

In a comment, Zuckerberg responded, "I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to me and Meta over the years. I look forward to this next chapter together!"

Before joining Facebook, Sandberg was a Vice President at Google and served as Chief of Staff for the US Treasury Department under Bill Clinton. Her best-selling 2013 book, "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead" inspired a generation of working women and was criticized for its hollow messaging that excluded the realities of single parents and women of color. Sandberg remains one of the most visible, successful women in corporate America and a trailblazer in an industry historically dominated by men.