Why is Sheryl Sandberg leaving Meta in May 2024?

Looking for work? Meta, formerly Facebook, may be looking for a new corporate board member after former COO and current board member Sheryl Sandberg announced on Facebook — where else? — she was leaving in May 2024 — here’s why Sandberg said she made the move.

As well as her work with Facebook/Meta, Sandberg published Lean in 2013, a guide for women navigating the corporate workplace. She was with Facebook from when it was just a startup, and she stepped back as COO in 2022 but remained on the board to “help ensure a successful transition,” she said.

Referring to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Sandberg wrote in her post that Zuckerberg and Meta leadership “have proven beyond a doubt that the Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this feels like the right time to step away.” Sandberg will, however, continue to act as an advisor to the company, her post said.

Sandberg will focus on philanthropy

In addition to her work with Meta, Sandberg is also highly involved in philanthropic work, also called Lean In, addressing challenges women face in leadership roles and, more recently, rape and sexual violence in war. In her post-Meta-life, Sanberg said she would focus her time on those philanthropic efforts.

In response to Sanberg’s post, Mark Zuckerberg thanked Sandberg for the “extraordinary contributions you have made to our company and community over the years. 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. I look forward to this next chapter together!”

Sanberg was Meta’s COO for 14 years and served on Meta’s board for 12. According to Axios, Meta reported all-time-high revenue when Sanberg announced she would leave her post. According to The Street, Sandberg had an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, so no matter what the future has in store for the former exec, she likely won’t need to look for work any time soon.