On Thursday, The New York Instances revealed a concerning the rise in energy of Stephen Miller, a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump recognized for his hardline views on immigration. Usually, a narrative like that wouldn’t get a lot consideration within the tech press. However the piece opened with an anecdote about Mark Zuckerberg that instantly raised eyebrows.
The story detailed a latest assembly Miller had with Zuckerberg when the Meta CEO traveled to Mar-a-Lago final yr. In keeping with The Instances, Zuckerberg — who would quickly surrender Meta’s prior efforts and ditch applications — “blamed his former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook that encouraged employees’ self-expression in the workplace.”
That line set off a recent spherical of hypothesis (and a few outrage) in tech circles. Sandberg, who left Meta and rose to fame after authoring her girls within the office manifesto Lean In, was recognized for her as soon as shut partnership with Zuckerberg on the prime of Fb. That Zuckerberg would blame his former prime lieutenant for fostering “inclusivity” at his firm, even amongst longtime observers of the corporate.
“She always knew who Mark Zuckerberg and covered for him,” New York Instances reporter Sheera Frankel, who co-wrote a e book about Fb’s dominance, noticed . “ The question is whether she will continue to do so when he so blatantly throws her under the (Trump) bus.” Journalist and longtime tech pundit Kara Swisher likewise that “folks I talked to tonight from the Mark/Sheryl Facebook era are shocked but not surprised by his blaming her.”
I additionally weighed in on my , sharing a hyperlink to a Enterprise Insider from February that quoted an interview during which Zuckerberg mentioned that Sandberg had raised him “like a parent.” I joked that the remark hadn’t aged effectively.
However on Friday, Zuckerberg determined to let me (and I suppose everybody else) know that he and Sandberg are nonetheless cool, in spite of everything. “Sheryl did amazing work at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry,” he wrote in to my put up. “She built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me much of what I know.”
Zuckerberg didn’t reply once I requested if Sandberg was too targeted on DEI initiatives at Meta or whether or not she took away from the “masculine energy” he lately companies ought to embody. (Notably, he has not denied The Instances’ reporting about his feedback on Sandberg.)
However, a couple of minutes later, Sandberg to helpfully let me know there are not any arduous emotions on her aspect, both. “Thank you, @zuck. I will always be grateful for the many years we spent building a great business together – and for your friendship that got me through some of the hardest times of my life and continues to this day.”
So, I suppose that settles it. Nothing to see right here, of us. Mark and Sheryl are positively nonetheless buddies. They could not work on the similar firm anymore, however they’re nonetheless in a position to come collectively to go off a possible. What could possibly be extra inspiring than that?
