Sheryl Sandberg: Tech Exec, Author, and Women's Rights Advocate

Sheryl Sandberg gives a statement during the session 'Women in Economic Decision-making' at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 25, 2013World Economic Forum via Wikimedia Commons

Sheryl Sandberg is a technology executive, author, and philanthropist from Washington, D. C. in the United States. She is perhaps most recognized for her serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meta Platforms, formerly Facebook Incorporated, between 2008 and 2022. She was also the first woman to serve on the company’s board of directors.[1] Before joining Meta Platforms, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google; whilst there she was a key figure in the development of Google.org, the department responsible for the company’s philanthropic endeavors.[2]

Early Life and Education

Sandberg was born on August 28^th, 1969. When she was two years old, her family relocated to North Miami Beach in Florida, where she attended North Miami Beach High School before graduating in 1987. In her sophomore year, she became class president and a member of the National Honor Society. In senior year she was on her class’s executive board.[3]

Sandberg then attended Harvard College to study for a BA in economics. Whilst there, she co-founded the group Women in Economics and Business. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1991. She also received the John H. Williams Prize, as the highest achieving economics student in her year.[4] She returned to Harvard just two years later to study for an MBA; she graduated in 1995.[5] Throughout her time at Harvard, Sandberg met and was subsequently mentored by Professor Lawrence (Larry) Summers, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during Bill Clinton’s Presidential run.[6]

McKinsey & Company, Larry Summers, and Google

After leaving Harvard, Sandberg became a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. She remained there for a year, before moving on to work with Lawrence Summers again as his chief of staff.[7] In 2001, Sandberg joined Google and became the Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations. During that time, she was responsible for the creation of Google AdWords, the company’s digital advertising platform, and Google AdSense, a program run by Google to help website publishers earn money through creating online content.[8] Both of these wings of the company contributed significantly to its earnings. Sandberg was also key in developing and overseeing the philanthropic efforts of Google.org, focusing on climate change, poverty, and issues related to public health.[9]

Meta Platforms (Facebook)

In 2008, Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg appointed Sandberg as the company’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO). Sandberg’s primary task was working out how to make Meta Platforms a profitable organization. After some debate between the company’s senior executives, it was decided that they would rely on discreet advertising placed on people’s feeds.[10] It was largely thanks to Sandberg that by 2010, the company was making profit. In 2012, she became the first woman on the company’s board of directors.

Lean In and Option B 

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg released her first book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. In the book, Sandberg discusses business, leaderships, feminism, and, more specifically, why there is a distinct lack of women in leadership roles across many sectors and industries. As well as issues such as discrimination, sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment in the workplace, Sandberg argues that internalizing sexism and gender roles can prevent women from striving for leadership roles.[11] In essence, she encourages women to “lean in” to the pursuit of positions in leadership. The book sold over a million copies and sat at the top of multiple bestsellers lists for the first six months after its release,[12] and was shortlisted Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award in 2013. Sandberg’s foundation of the same name aims to help organizations create spaces that champion women employees and encourages women to pursue their ambitions.

Her second title, Option B, was published in 2017 and addresses creating resilience in families and communities in the face of grief and adversity; she wrote it following her husband Dave Goldberg’s sudden passing in 2015.

Awards and Recognition 

Sheryl Sandberg has been recognized by several publications. Fortune Magazine have featured her on their “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list eight times between 2007 and 2018; her highest ranking was fifth in 2017. Forbes named her one of the world’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2014 (No. 9), 2017 (No. 4), and 2021 (No. 36), and The Wall Street Journal featured her on their 50 Women to Watch list in 2007 and 2008.

Conclusion

Sheryl Sandberg has made a significant impact on the tech industry and business sector all whilst being a fierce advocate for gender equality, particularly in the corporate world.

[1] Sheryl Sandberg. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Sandberg.2024.

[2] Sheryl Sandberg: Chief Operating Officer, Facebook. [Online] Available https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/advisory-boards/jobs-council/members/sandberg.

[3] Sheryl Sandberg. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Sandberg.2024.

[4] Auletta, Ken. A Woman’s Place. [Online] Available https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/07/11/a-womans-place-ken-auletta.2011.

[5] Sheryl Sandberg. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Sandberg.2024.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Gregerson, Erik. Sheryl Sandberg American business executive. [Online] Available https://www.britannica.com/money/Sheryl-Sandberg.2024.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Auletta, Ken. A Woman’s Place. [Online] Available https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/07/11/a-womans-place-ken-auletta.2011.

[11] https://leanin.org/book

[12] Helft, Miguel. Sheryl Sandberg: The real story. [Online] Available https://web.archive.org/web/20131010154647/http:/money.cnn.com/2013/10/10/leadership/sheryl-sandberg-mpw.pr.fortune/index.html.2013.