Meta's Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, has stepped down after 14 years.
The 52-year-old billionaire business executive has bowed out of the role at Facebook's parent company and thanked CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 38, for changing her life.
On how she came to land the senior position, Sandberg began a lengthy statement on Facebook: "Today, I am sharing the news that after 14 years, I will be leaving Meta.
When I first met Mark, I was not really looking for a new job – and I could have never predicted how meeting him would change my life. We were at a holiday party at Daniel L Rosensweig's house. I was introduced to Mark as I walked in the door, and we started talking about his vision for Facebook. I had tried The Facebook, as it was first called, but still thought the internet was a largely anonymous place to search for funny pictures. Mark’s belief that people would put their real selves online to connect with other people was so mesmerizing that we stood by that door and talked for the rest of the night. I told Dan later that I got a new life at that party but never got a single drink, so he owed me one."
Sandberg admitted it was a "chaotic" workplace at first.
However, she said it's been an "honour and privilege of a lifetime" to work alongside Mark for more than a decade.
She said: "Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. Mark is a true visionary and a caring leader. He sometimes says that we grew up together, and we have. He was just 23 and I was already 38 when we met, but together we have been through the massive ups and downs of running this company... (sic)"
Sandberg will officially exit the role in the fall, but still serve on Meta's board of directors.
She will be replaced by Javier Olivan, Meta's Chief Growth Officer.
