The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, has announced her resignation from the giant social media company. Sandberg’s resignation came in the middle of an inquiry into whether she used company resources to plan her upcoming wedding fixed for fall.
But insiders said the 52-year-old top operations officer had been suffering from burnout and also felt victimized on account of her gender. Internal sources stated that Sandberg felt monitored for every move she makes and that the investigation she’s been subjected to makes her feel undermined given all she has done for Facebook over her 14 years of dedicated service.
But Sandberg in her resignation said she wants to focus on making a success of her coming wedding to Tom Bernthal, the CEO of a marketing and consultancy firm in Los Angeles, and to focus on her philanthropic activities. She added that she wants time for the five children that are between her and Bernthal.
“I am not entirely sure what the future will bring — I have learned no one ever is,” Sandberg said. “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. And as Tom and I get married this summer, parenting our expanded family of five children.”
But apart from the probe into whether she dipped her hands into company resources to plan her approaching wedding, Sandberg is also being investigated on allegations that she pressured the UK tabloid, Daily Mail, to heighten a story about former boyfriend Bobby Kotick, the founder and CEO of Activision Blizzard; including a temporary restraining order, Kotick’s former girlfriend instituted against him.
But Caroline Nolan, a Meta spokeswoman, denied that Sandberg is leaving the company on account of any active investigations against the COO. “None of this has anything to do with her personal decision to leave,” Nolan clarified.
Internal sources said Sandberg was laid back while Facebook was transitioning to Meta. The tech giant changed its parent name to Metaverse to rebrand and restructure its operations following a series of allegations that Facebook and Instagram are impacting the mental health of teenage girls negatively. It is however on record that Sandberg revolutionized the earning potentials of Facebook and is largely responsible for the immense revenue being generated by the company, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is full of praises for her.
“Looking forward, I don’t plan to replace Sheryl’s role in our existing structure,” Zuckerberg said. I’m not sure that would be possible, since she’s a superstar who defined the COO role in her own unique way.”