Meta’s lawyers are investigating outgoing COO Sheryl Sandberg amid claims she misused company resources, The Wall Street Journal reports. The paper says the investigation goes back “several years” and is scrutinizing Meta employees’ work on Sandberg’s personal projects.
When Sandberg first announced her departure from the company, The Wall Street Journal reported the company was examining whether she had improperly used company resources in planning her upcoming wedding. Now, WSJ has shed a little more light on the investigation.
Meta lawyers are reportedly looking at Facebook staff’s involvement with Sandberg’s foundation Lean In, and their work to help her promote her most recent book, Option B. The company is also investigating reports that Sandberg used Facebook staffers in an attempt to kill a negative story about her former partner, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. The company could be looking to head off regulatory concerns that could arise if such work wasn’t properly disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sandberg eventually “could be asked to repay the company for employee time spent on her personal work,” according to the report.
Meta declined to comment to The Wall Street Journal.
The investigation is indicative of just how much Sandberg’s status within the company has changed in recent years. As The WSJ points out, both Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg’s personal lives have been closely tied to the company. Meta spends millions of dollars every year on their personal security and travel expenses, and both executives have tapped Facebook employees to help with personal projects. That Sandberg is now facing scrutiny for these actions shows how much her influence has waned.