Facebook staff rallying around Sheryl Sandberg after scandals, says exec

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
Getty

• Facebook staff have rallied around COO Sheryl Sandberg
  after a series of scandals reportedly left her fearing for her
  job.
• Mark Zuckerberg blamed her for the Cambridge Analytica
  debacle, The Wall Street Journal reported, while she also
  failed to spot Facebook using a PR firm to smear
  critics.
• “There’s been a huge upswell of support internally for
  the work that Sheryl does,” said Patrick Walker, one of
  Facebook’s most senior executives outside the US.
• Walker added that the internal debate around Facebook’s
  crisis management has been “robust.”

There has been a “huge upswell” of support for Sheryl Sandberg at
Facebook after a series of scandals reportedly left the chief
operating officer fearing for her job.

That’s according to Patrick Walker, one of Facebook’s most senior
executives outside the US. Over a lunch with journalists on
Tuesday, he said the backing of Sandberg among rank-and-file
staff has been “remarkable.”

It follows questions over her handling of crises including
Russian interference in the 2016 US election and the Cambridge
Analytica data debacle earlier this year.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally blamed Sandberg for
Cambridge Analytica, leaving her rattled and fearing for her job,
The Wall Street Journal
reported.

Sandberg also admitted that she should have known about Facebook
hiring PR firm Definers Public Affairs to smear the company’s
critics. Facebook has now cut ties with Definers and Zuckerberg
said the firm’s PR team was responsible for the relationship.

Patrick Walker, Facebook’s
director of media partnerships in Europe, Middle East, and
Africa.
International News Media
Association/YouTube

Despite the missteps, Sandberg remains a popular figure
internally, according to Walker. Speaking at a Broadcasting Press
Guild event, he said: “There’s been a huge upswell of support
internally for the work that Sheryl does. It’s a very difficult
job that she’s in.

“The amount of support, and other executives who have worked with
her within the company for so many years, who are rallying around
this particular challenge has been remarkable. I have worked with
her personally many, many times and feel for sure she has the
best interests [of the company].”

“There’s been a very robust debate”

Walker, Facebook’s director of media partnerships in Europe,
Middle East, and Africa, added that there has been a spirited
debate internally since
The New York Times last week published a blockbuster report
on the social network’s crisis management.

Read more: Mark Zuckerberg’s spectacular
failure of leadership shows why some Facebook investors are
desperate to fire him

“There’s been a very robust debate, trust me, on trying to get
some answers internally,” he said, adding: “If you were privy to
some of the internal chats and discussions that are happening
through Workplace [Facebook’s internal messaging system], you
would probably be impressed with how open people can be directly
to Mark and Sheryl.”

Walker said he has never worked at a company that has been under
as much scrutiny as Facebook has over the past couple of years,
but he insisted the morale among employees is still positive.

“The mood is still very, very high and people have a real sense
of purpose and a real belief in the mission,” he continued.