Zuckerberg blamed ‘close friend’ Sheryl Sandberg for ‘cultural’ issues at Meta in Trump meeting

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly blamed a former executive, Sheryl Sandberg, for ‘culture-related problems’ at the company during a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump. Sandberg left Meta in 2022 and was serving as chief operating officer. New York Times reported that Zuckerberg pushed the former executive under the bus in the meeting with the GOP leader at Mar-a-Lago resort.

The Meta CEO is also believed to have held discussions with top Trump advisers, including Stephen Miller, on immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Zuckerberg’s accusation

During the meeting, the Meta chief accused Sandberg of initiating schemes that encouraged inclusivity. Zuckerberg added that he was now planning to press the company’s reset button and fire some of the employees.

Sandberg remained on Meta’s board till last year. When she exited the company, Zuckerberg posted a long, heartfelt message on social media, lauding her contribution over the years.

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“Sheryl hired great people and taught me how to run a company. She deserves credit for so much of what Meta is today,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post.

At the time of resignation, there were no signs of bad blood between the two executives.

In a 2024 interview, Zuckerberg was quoted as saying by MorningBrew that Sandberg raised him “like a parent almost” and they remain “pretty close friends.”

Zuckerberg’s radical shift towards the right

The Meta CEO over the past weeks has taken drastic steps to steer the company to the right. The company earlier donated $1 million to the president-elect’s inaugural fund. Zuckerberg declared Meta was going to bury fact-checking and DEI initiatives. The company also got rid of diversity hiring goals for women and minorities.

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The Meta chief even blasted advisors of outgoing US President Joe Biden, saying they would “curse” and “scream” at Meta officials to get things done.

“They pushed us super hard to take down things that honestly were true,” said Zuckerberg.

(With inputs from agencies)