A recent poll from Blind, an anonymous social network for more than 45,000 employees of tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others, revealed how they perceive Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg after a flurry of recent negative press.
When asked to answer the following questions:
- Have scandals involving Sheryl Sandberg devalued Facebook?
- Should Sheryl Sandberg remain COO of Facebook?
Fifty-six percent of 8,972 respondents believed that recent events involving Sandberg have negatively impacted Facebook’s value. Among those who answered, 802 were Facebook employees (out of a some 9,500 users who are currently working at the social network) and only 27.06% of those answered yes. The results indicate that there’s bigger support for Sandberg from within Facebook than in the tech industry as a whole.
A total of 6,328 answered the second question, with over half (55.36%) saying Sandberg shouldn’t continue as COO of Facebook. Of these, 595 are employed at the company and just over a quarter (28.4%) responded with no.
Facebook declined to comment, but a source at the company said there’s been an outpouring of internal support for Sandberg, and some within the company believe the coverage regarding the COO has taken on a sexist tone.
A recent Facebook post from Matt Jacobson, head of Market Development who joined the company in 2005 that was originally shared internally and then made public conveys this support.
“ In the spring of 2008, in a meeting-heavy culture, we were terrible at making decisions. Opinions were shared, but ownership rarely taken. What I remember most about the first six months under Sheryl’s leadership was her focus on driving accountability in all meetings and making us all better for it. She looked for diverse perspectives, and encouraged us to argue points that we believed in, so we could build consensus and make decisions.”
Blind users are verified through their work email or through LinkedIn, and the app and web platform create a private company channel after more than 30 employees of a given company have joined Blind by verifying with a company email address.
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