Her statement is lapidary “After 14 years, I will leave Meta,” said on Facebook Wednesday Sheryl Sandberg, the director of operations of the American giant of social networks, who will however remain on the Board of Directors.

Sheryl Sandberg assured that these years “alongside Mark” Zuckerberg, the boss and founder of the company, have been “the honor and privilege of a lifetime”, while the Californian group is widely criticized by politicians and civil society for its business model.

“This is the end of an era,” the billionaire commented on his profile.

Mark Zuckerberg recalled that in 2008 when he hired Sheryl Sandberg, he was only 23 years old and knew “nothing about corporate governance.”

She was 38, and had a career in prestigious organizations, from the World Bank to the McKinsey consulting group. She had also been at the U.S. Treasury as chief of staff and Google as vice president for international sales and operations.

“Sheryl designed the architecture of our advertising business, recruited great people, shaped our corporate culture and taught me how to run a company. She has created opportunities for millions of people around the world and is a big part of why Meta has become the group it is today.”

Javi Olivan has been named the new chief operating officer, but Mark Zuckerberg has made it clear that he does not intend to replace Sheryl Sandberg’s position as is.

After establishing itself as the world’s leading social network in the 2000s, Facebook has expanded and acquired other services, such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus, to remain unavoidable.

At the end of 2021, the founder renamed the parent company “Meta,” to mark the turn toward the metaverse, that parallel universe accessible in augmented and virtual realities.

“The debate around social networks has nothing to do with the beginnings,” Sheryl Sandberg remarked in her long message where she looks back on the major milestones of her fourteen years at Facebook.

“To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement. But it’s okay for it to be hard. Our products have a huge impact so we have a responsibility to design them in a way that protects people’s privacy and safety.”