Outgoing Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg announced her resignation from the tech giant during an ongoing investigation into her alleged use of corporate resources to plan her wedding, according to a report Thursday.
Sandberg, 52, surprised the business world on Wednesday with his decision to step down as Meta’s chief operating officer, saying he wanted to focus on his nuptial and future philanthropic efforts.
But the powerful executive also felt exhausted after turning Facebook into a global force and scrutinizing all its moves, which includes a review of Meta about his upcoming wedding to chief marketing officer Tom Bernthal.
Meta’s investigation into whether Sandberg misappropriated the company’s resources to plan the party was still ongoing in May, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
The investigation comes after a separate investigation into allegations that Sandberg pressured the Daily Mail to publish a critical story about her then-boyfriend, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.
Sheryl Sandberg reportedly felt exhausted in recent months. AFP through Getty Images Tom Bernthal is the CEO of a consulting firm.
A Meta representative dismissed the idea that internal probes were factors in Sandberg’s motives for moving away from the company.
“None of this has anything to do with her personal decision to leave,” said Caroline Nolan, a spokeswoman for Meta.
Meta did not immediately return The Post’s request for additional comments.
In a lengthy Facebook post explaining his decision, Sandberg announced his upcoming marriage to Bernthal and said he would formally step down as Meta’s chief operating officer in the fall.
Sheryl Sandberg will marry Tom Bernthal later this year.
“I’m not entirely sure what the future holds; I’ve learned that no one ever is,” Sandberg said. “But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and my philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever, given how critical this moment is for women. And like Tom and I We got married this summer, raising our extended family of five. “
Sandberg’s personal and professional challenges came when Meta tried to change its brand as a metavers company after a series of scandals, including damning reports about the harmful effects that Instagram and other company-owned platforms have on health. mental health of adolescents.
Sheryl Sandberg left Facebook after a 14-year career. REUTERS
Sources told the Journal that Sandberg feels as if he has become a “punching bag” for the company’s problems. They added that Sandberg has not been very involved in the company’s effort to build its metavers.
“She sees herself as a person who has been attacked, she has been paved like an executive woman in a way that would not happen to a man. Gender or not, she is fed up with it,” said one person who he worked alongside Sandberg for many years.
Sandberg was facing an investigation earlier this year over the bomb report that contacted the Daily Mail in 2016 and 2019 while the British tabloid was working on a story that revealed that one of Kotick’s ex-girlfriends had obtained a temporary restraining order against him. in 2014.
Sheryl Sandberg will formally leave Meta this fall.ZUMAPRESS.com
Facebook officials investigated whether Sandberg had behaved inappropriately during the episode. Since then, the investigation has been resolved, a Meta representative told the Wall Street Journal.
But the investigation has added to a sense of exhaustion for Sandberg, who also struggled with the challenge of combining her and Bernthal’s families before marriage and health-related issues involving relatives who contracted COVID- 19 in recent months, according to the Wall. Street newspaper.
During his 14-year career at the company, Sandberg led the development of the Facebook advertising giant that comprises much of Meta’s revenue. Mark Zuckerberg was effusive in his praise of Sandberg in a post that reacted to his departure.
“Looking ahead, I don’t plan to replace Sheryl’s role in our existing structure. I’m not sure that’s possible, as she’s a superstar who defined the role of COO in her unique way,” Zuckerberg said.