Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook OG and Zuck's right-hand woman, to exit company this fall

After 14 years, Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down as COO of Meta.

Since 2008, Sandberg has been Mark Zuckerberg's right-hand woman and largely responsible for building Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) into the revenue-generating social media behemoth it is today. As Zuckerberg noted in a comment on Sandberg's farewell post, it marks "The end of an era."

Since its humble beginnings as a snarky social media platform created in a Harvard dorm room to its modern-day incarnation as the conglomerate that now includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta has been often at the center of controversies that include major privacy violations, dissemination and propagation of misinformation and hate speech, and coercive algorithms.

In her post, Sandberg addressed these controversies with the tone of a valedictorian on commencement day. "The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days. To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement. But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe." What a long strange trip it's been. Have a good summer!

Sandberg didn't specify what she would be doing next but said that she would continue to serve on Meta's board of directors, act as a vocal proponent of women's initiatives in the workplace, as well as focus more on her foundation and philanthropic work. Sandberg will remain in her role as COO until the fall.

This story is developing...