# Sheryl Sandberg

> Sheryl Sandberg is a technology executive, author, and philanthropist who served as Meta's COO for 14 years, transforming Facebook into a profitable advertising powerhouse and becoming one of the most influential voices in business leadership. The author of 'Lean In' and founder of LeanIn.org, she's a champion for women's leadership and currently runs Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, investing in AI-native companies while serving on Meta's board and advising early-stage founders.

- **Role:** Co-Founder at Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners; Founder at LeanIn.org; Board Member at Meta
- **Organizations:** Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners, LeanIn.org, Meta Platforms (Board), Nscale (Board)
- **From:** Washington, D.C., United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Economics (summa cum laude), Harvard University, Master of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Transformed Facebook from unprofitable startup to advertising powerhouse, achieving profitability by 2010, Led Facebook's successful 2012 IPO, First woman elected to Facebook's board of directors (2012)

## Career timeline

- **1991-1993** — Worked at World Bank with Lawrence Summers on projects in developing countries
- **1995-1996** — Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company
- **1996-2001** — Chief of Staff to U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers
- **2001-2008** — Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google; built AdWords and AdSense
- **2008** — Joined Facebook as Chief Operating Officer
- **2010** — Made Facebook profitable through advertising strategy
- **2012** — Became first woman on Facebook's board of directors; led successful IPO
- **2013** — Published 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead'; founded LeanIn.org
- **2015** — Husband Dave Goldberg died unexpectedly
- **2017** — Published 'Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy'
- **2021** — Co-founded Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners with husband Tom Bernthal
- **2022** — Stepped down as Meta COO; married Tom Bernthal; remained on Meta board
- **2024** — Left Meta board with $1.6 billion fortune; focused on venture investing
- **2026** — Joined Nscale AI board; appointed Bridget Griswold as new Lean In CEO

## Achievements

- Transformed Facebook from unprofitable startup to advertising powerhouse, achieving profitability by 2010
- Led Facebook's successful 2012 IPO
- First woman elected to Facebook's board of directors (2012)
- Built Google's AdWords and AdSense products into multi-billion dollar revenue drivers
- Named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People (2012)
- Author of two bestselling books: 'Lean In' and 'Option B'
- Founded LeanIn.org, supporting women's leadership globally
- Graduated summa cum laude as top economics student at Harvard (1991)
- Accumulated net worth of $2.4 billion
- Co-founded Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners with portfolio including unicorn Pigment

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Endowed scholarship at Camp Ramah in California honoring late husband Dave Goldberg, funding 30 children annually
- **2026-04** — Appointed Bridget Griswold, 25, as new CEO of Lean In to focus on closing AI gender gap
- **2026-03** — Joined board of British AI data center startup Nscale, calling it reminiscent of early Facebook
- **2026-02** — Named 2026 commencement speaker at Brandeis University for May 17 ceremony
- **2024-11** — Sandberg Bernthal Venture Partners invested in Pigment's $145 million funding round
- **2024-06** — Left Meta's board of directors, stepping away fully after 16 years with the company

## Links

- Website: https://leanin.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylsandberg
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/sherylsandberg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherylsandberg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheryl/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/sheryl-sandberg
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-03