Sheryl Sandberg, original girlboss and longtime fixture at Facebook, is formally stepping down from her position on Meta’s board. Sandberg announced her transition away from the company on Wednesday in a post that she made, appropriately, on Facebook.
“With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not stand for reelection this May,” the former Facebook chief operating officer said in her post. “Going forward, I will serve as an advisor to the company, and I will always be there to help the Meta teams.”
“Serving as Facebook’s – and then Meta’s – COO for 14 ½ years and a board member for 12 years has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I will always be grateful to Mark for believing in me and for his partnership and friendship,” she said, in reference to Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. She added that she would continue to serve the company in an informal advisory capacity.
It’s not clear what’s next for Sandberg. She joined Facebook in 2008, after previous stints in government and at Google. During her tenure as the company’s COO, she helped its social media platforms grow in major ways, while also helping the company weather some of its more unfortunate controversies—including the Cambridge Analytica scandal. She stepped down from her position as COO in 2022 but has remained on Meta’s board since then.
In response to Sandberg’s post Wednesday, Zuckerberg thanked Sandberg for her service at the company. “Thank you Sheryl for the extraordinary contributions you have made to our company and community over the years,” Zuckerberg commented on Sandberg’s post. “Your dedication and guidance have been instrumental in driving our success and I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to me and Meta over the years.”