Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has become one of the youngest billionaires – yes, that’s billionaire with a ‘b’ – in the world after Facebook closed at a record US$58.51 on the NASDAQ exchange.
The 44-year-old is now not only one of the youngest billionaires on the planet, but one of the youngest female billionaires in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Sandberg’s wealth shot through the US$1bn mark on Tuesday, when Facebook hit the record closure in New York.
She owns about 12.3m shares at the social network, with her stake valued at about US$750m.
Sandberg also sits on the boards of Starbucks and Walt Disney, and is author of the book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, which was published last year.
In that book, Sandberg wrote about financial compensation for women. “For women, earning money increases their decision-making ability in the home, protects them in case of divorce, and can be important security in later years, as women often outlive their husbands.”
David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect, told Bloomberg that Sandberg was brought in to Facebook to figure out how to make money.
“She went to Google, moved on to go to Facebook, went to write a book, and she’ll know when to run for political office, and probably win that office,” Kirkpatrick added.
Sandberg may also win the job of Microsoft CEO, according to one analyst.
