Sheryl Sandberg was under investigation at Meta for using corporate resources to plan her wedding, report says

Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg was under investigation for using corporate resources to plan her wedding, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Sandberg announced Wednesday she would be stepping down as head of operations at Meta, Facebook’s parent company, after 14 years. She said she will remain on the company’s board of directors.

“I am not entirely sure what the future will bring — I have learned no one ever is,” the “Lean In” author wrote in a Facebook post announcing the news.

“But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever given how critical this moment is for women.”

Sandberg’s announcement came around the same time the company was reviewing her use of corporate resources for wedding planning purposes.

Sandberg announced in 2020 she was engaged to Tom Bernthal, the founder and CEO of a consulting firm based in Los Angeles.

The review, ongoing as of May, grew out of another investigation into Sandberg after The Journal reported in April that years prior she had pressed The Daily Mail, a UK tabloid, to stop reporting a story about her then-boyfriend Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, and a temporary restraining order brought against him by an ex.

Meta did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Meta spokeswoman Caroline Nolan told The Journal: “None of this has anything to do with her personal decision to leave.”

Former and current Meta employees recently told Insider’s Kali Hays and Claire Atkinson that Sandberg had been gradually losing power at the company.

Sheryl Kara Sandberg (born August 28, 1969) is an American business executive, billionaire, and philanthropist. Sandberg serves as chief operating officer (COO) of Meta Platforms, a position from which she announced, on June 1, 2022, that she is stepping down in the fall. She is also the founder of LeanIn.Org.

In 2008, she was made COO at Facebook, becoming company’s second-highest ranking official. In June 2012, she was elected to Facebook’s board of directors, becoming the first woman to serve on its board. As head of the company’s advertising business, Sandberg was credited for making the company profitable.