Meta Investigation Into Sheryl Sandberg’s Use Of Company Resources Reaches Back Several Years, Report Says

Topline

Meta is investigating former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s use of professional resources for personal matters over a period of several years, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, just a week after Sandberg announced she would step down from the social media giant to spend more time on philanthropic efforts.

Key Facts

The Wall Street Journal first reported last week Meta had launched an investigation into Sandberg’s use of company resources to help plan her summer wedding to consultant Tom Bernthal.

Lawyers are also looking into Sandberg’s behavior years before that, including how Facebook employees allegedly helped with work related to Sandberg’s foundation, Lean In—which aims to empower women in achieving their goals—as well as with Sandberg’s second book, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy,” about the death of her husband, the Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the probe.

Meta has interviewed several employees as a part of a review that began around last fall, according to the Journal.

Sources close to Sandberg told the Journal the review has bothered her but did not contribute to her decision to step down from the company.

Meta and a spokesperson for Sandberg did not respond to requests for comments from Forbes, but a spokeswoman for Sandberg told the Journal last week she “did not inappropriately use company resources in connection with the planning of her wedding.”

What We Don’t Know

What led Meta to launch the investigation in the first place. Sources told the Journal some critics had raised concerns about Sandberg’s use of professional resources for a while.

Key Background

Sandberg and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have previously disclosed use of company resources for some personal matters, according to the Journal, which noted that Sandberg credited several Facebook employees in the acknowledgments section of her second book. Meta staff also helped Sandberg with her book tours as well as her foundation and family matters, the Journal reported. Some sources who spoke to the outlet said they were concerned Sandberg’s use of company resources for personal tasks could lead to violations from the Securities and Exchange Commission, though it’s not clear what those penalties would be. She could be forced to reimburse the company for the time employees’ worked on her personal matters, some of the sources told the Journal. After announcing she would step down from Meta—but remain on the company’s board of directors—Sandberg told Forbes she enjoyed her time at Meta, but it did not “leave a lot of room for much else,” adding she wanted “more control over what I do with my own time on a daily basis.” She told friends and colleagues she was tired of serving as a “punching bag” for critics of the social media giant, according to the Journal.

Tangent

According to the Journal, Facebook also launched a review of Sandberg’s actions after the publication reported in April she pressed the online version of the Daily Mail not to publish an article about her former boyfriend, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. The report alleges Sandberg worked with Facebook and Activision employees as well as outside advisors to press the tabloid not to report on a 2014 temporary restraining order that Kotick’s former girlfriend purportedly obtained against him. The outlet never reported the story, and a Meta spokesperson said Sandberg didn’t use her influence to pressure the Daily Mail.

Further Reading

Meta Scrutinizing Sheryl Sandberg’s Use of Facebook Resources Over Several Years (Wall Street Journal)

Why Sheryl Sandberg Quit Facebook’s Meta (Wall Street Journal)

Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg Pressured Daily Mail to Drop Bobby Kotick Reporting (Wall Street Journal)