Thank goodness we finally see the backside of Sheryl Sandberg, now that she's exited Meta (formerly, Facebook). By jove, let's hope that the woman would just shut the hell up.
She has made her billions, no doubt about that, but her legacy will decidedly be a negative one. Her Lean In book was a total misfire, catchphrase notwithstanding. Instead of useful playbook to show the female cohorts how to achieve success, her lean-in power-posing is simply a glorified way to preening her feathers.
The Atlantic article on her legacy sums up my very negative feelings about this woman so well, I couldn't have said it better. To be sure, the conventional understanding that female leaders are one rung better than (in terms of consideration and the courage to "Do The Right Thing") the male peers might be true, but that cannot be said of Sheryl Sandberg. If she were a guy, she would not have made the news because male leaders, as bitch or SOB as she is, are commonplace. Yes, we expect more from female leaders precisely because we all hope (against all hope) that they are better than this. But money is money, and when one sells one's soul (or someone else's) in exchange for the money in the world, it really doesn't matter what gender that might be.
History will consign away Sheryl Sandberg sure (and quick) enough as it has dispensed with Marissa Mayer. No one will miss a beat. In this day and age, particularly coming at the heels of Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade, it feels like women's rights and places in the world have shrunken, having set back for decades.
With women having to fight for reproducible rights all over again, the idea of Lean In almost feel ludicrous. The likes of Sandberg and Mayer would have us believe that women can improve their station by self-improvement only, climbing the ladder in a very male-dominated world, that feels so quaint. Younger generations have it exactly right, which is that if the system is left unchanged, if the odds are stacked so drastically against you, the only way to fight back is to bring about systemic change. And no amount of leaning in would buy you systemic change.
As the erstwhile leader of the most influential social media, Sandberg could have brought about that much needed systemic change. Instead, she chose to perpetuate, even exacerbate, the situation (to the extent of suppressing evidence and whistleblowers), all for making more money for Facebook. One could say, her job was to maximize profits for her employer (and her own pocketbook), to hell with Do-The-Right-Thing. That's exactly why her legacy is so hard to swallow, even to the detriment of future up-and-coming female leaders. It's clear as day that she has totally missed the boat, and no amount of billions in wealth will buy her the stature to speak up again.
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