on Thursday, The New York Instances printed an extended story concerning the rise to energy of Stephen Miller, a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump identified for his hard-line views on immigration. Usually, a narrative like this would not get a lot consideration within the tech press. However the piece opened with a narrative about Mark Zuckerberg that instantly raised eyebrows.
The story particulars Miller’s latest assembly with Zuckerberg when the Meta CEO traveled to Mar-a-Lago final yr. In keeping with The InstancesZuckerberg—who would quickly abandon Meta’s fact-checking efforts and dismantle company variety applications—“blamed his former chief working officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for the Fb inclusion initiative that inspired worker self-expression within the office.”
The road sparked a brand new period of hypothesis (and a few outrage) in tech circles. Sandberg, who left Meta in 2022 and rose to fame after authoring her Girls within the Office manifesto. Lean inwas identified for his shut partnership with Zuckerberg on the high of Fb. That Zuckerberg would blame his former high lieutenant for selling “inclusivity” at his firm raised eyebrows, even amongst longtime observers of the corporate.
“She all the time knew who Mark Zuckerberg was and coated for him.” The New York Instances Reporter Shira Frankel, who co-wrote a e book about Fb’s dominance, noticed Blusky. “The query is whether or not she’s going to proceed to do this when she threw him underneath the (Trump) bus.” Journalist and longtime tech pundit Cara Swisher equally famous that “folks I’ve talked to tonight from the Mark/Sherrill Fb period are shocked however not stunned by the accusations.”
I additionally weighed in on my threads account, sharing a hyperlink. Enterprise Insider The February story cited an interview wherein Zuckerberg mentioned Sandberg raised him “like a mother or father.” I joked that the remark age wasn’t proper.
However on Friday, Zuckerberg determined to let me (and I suppose everybody) know that he and Sandberg are nonetheless cool. “Sherrill did a tremendous job at Meta and can without end be a legend within the trade,” she wrote in response to my submit. “He constructed one of many biggest companies of all time and taught me every thing I do know.”
A couple of minutes later, Sandberg helpfully instructed me that she had no exhausting emotions both. “Thanks, @Zach. I’ll all the time be thankful for the numerous years we spent constructing an important enterprise collectively – and on your friendship that bought me by means of the toughest instances of my life and continues to this present day.”
Zuckerberg responded with a single coronary heart emoji.
I requested Zuckerberg if he felt Sandberg was focusing an excessive amount of on DEI’s initiatives within the meta, or if he had taken away the “masculine vitality” he just lately ascribed to Joe Rogan Firms. Have to be embodied. Remarkably, he didn’t refuse. The Instances reporting about her feedback about Sandberg, although she claimed they have been being misconstrued.
“I answered the query of the place the phrase ‘deliver your entire self’ got here from, and now there’s an entire bogus narrative that I blamed Cheryl for issues I by no means did. And by no means will,” he mentioned. (Bringing your “entire self” to work is a slogan Sandberg popularized amongst them. Lean in. Comparable language usually seems on Meta’s profession website when the corporate highlights variety amongst its staff. “Being your genuine self is the inspiration of who we’re as an organization,” Metta wrote on a since-deleted web page on his company web site the place he shared his inner variety studies.
So, I suppose that settles it. Nothing to see right here, people. Mark and Cheryl are undoubtedly nonetheless buddies. They might now not work on the identical firm, however they’re nonetheless able to teaming as much as sort out a possible PR disaster. What may very well be extra spectacular than that?
Replace, January 17, 2025, 4pm PT: This submit was up to date to mirror a further remark from Zuckerberg.