In March 2008, Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook (now Meta) from Google, at which she had been globally responsible for online sales of its publishing and advertisement products. Previously, she had served as chief of staff in the treasury department of the Clinton administration.
In welcoming her into the role of Facebook chief operating officer, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that she had the most relevant industry experience for Facebook, and also that he and she shared the same values.
Facebook was unprofitable at that time, with audience growth instead having been the top priority of its board and private investors. Sandberg recommended that Facebook focus on advertising as its revenue generator. The company became profitable in the autumn of 2009 and subsequently went public in the spring of 2012, raising $16 billion (€15.4 billion) for the company and valuing it at $104 billion.
Sandberg left Meta (the company renamed from Facebook in 2021) as COO in the autumn of 2022, while remaining on its board of directors. She stepped down from the board last year.
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Beyond her role in Facebook, Sandberg became more well-known as a feminist advocate when she published her bestselling book Lean In in 2013.
The book encouraged professional women to achieve career goals and gave guidance to executive leaders on a more equitable work environment.
While at Facebook she earned a reputation for emphasising work-life balance and inclusivity regardless of gender, race or sexual identity. She was responsible for a range of benefits for Facebook employees including first class health insurance, medical and dental clinics, on-site fitness gyms, and high-quality and free restaurants and cafes.
No doubt Sandberg’s policies not only attracted top talent to Facebook but facilitated a highly productive work environment. Facebook became known as a congenial and neutral place of employment, while recognising the importance of life goals outside of work. Much of this was attributed directly to Sandberg but with Zuckerberg’s implicit and occasionally visible support.
Zuckerberg’s recent decision to tilt Meta towards unrestricted “free speech”, brushing aside dangers from disinformation, and praising corporate cultures with “masculine energy” rather than being “surrounded by girls and women”, appears to be an astonishing and complete rebuttal of the cultural ethos that had been championed by Sandberg.
Adopting a stereotypical frat honcho look, complete with gold chain and new-look tousled mop, he appeared on the popular Joe Rogan YouTube podcast in a near three-hour interview to justify the changes, and to appeal to the incoming Trump administration to defend the US tech sector, not least against international regulatory restrictions.
Like Rogan, Zuckerberg is a mixed martial arts enthusiast, but excruciatingly stumbled in striving for affinity with Rogan’s equal passion for hunting, both with rifles and by archery, when challenged by Rogan as to what kind of bow he actually uses and who coached him to hunt.
The change in office norms being made by Zuckerberg will surely cause some Meta staff to resign in resentment. He followed his Rogan appearance with an internal memo to his staff announcing a round of lay-offs, which will be performance-based and “non-regrettable”, with the intention of back-filing the empty positions with new hires, which of course may then become a lower overall cost to the company.
These various moves may restrict Zuckerberg’s opportunity to find new hires willing to work in his new macho organisation. He probably did not help his cause by also asserting on the Rogan podcast that this year Meta could be using AI to automate the work of mid-level software developers. While this may be technically conceivable, it could be a downbeat message for attracting career developers.
Furthermore during the recent MAGA debate to abandon or retain the H1-B visa programme, some professionals were alarmed by assertions made about the comparative weaknesses of American educational standards, and their consequent potential substitution by lower-paid and ostensibly better-trained immigrants.
Subsequent to the Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg sought to refute any suggestion that Sandberg was to blame for a cultural direction for his company which he now rejected, noting that she will “forever be a legend in the industry”. She replied that she was grateful for her years at the company and for his friendship.
I find it difficult to reconcile these diplomatic statements with the actions now being announced by the company.
Software development needs creative and insightful minds, complemented by engineering discipline. At least for now, advancements in AI aren’t an opportunity to replace staff, but rather remain as new tools that require human oversight and verification.
Domineering behaviour associated with so-called “masculine energy” such as macho aggression, over-assertiveness and sexual belittlement are ultimately highly unproductive and alienating.
Invention, product innovation and engineering require the best minds in cohesive teams with an intensity of focus, strong collegiality and respect – regardless of sex, skin colour, religion or any other personal attribute. I believe Zuckerberg may now be ignoring this at Meta’s peril.
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