Post deleted: Is the career of the #1 woman in American business over?

When Adam Grant asks his Wharton students to name a leader they admire, the name is always Sheryl Sandberg. “Most of the time, other women aren’t mentioned at all,” says Grant, a professor and organizational psychologist who co-authored the book Plan B with Sandberg in 2017.

This speaks to the problem of the lack of women in leadership positions in large companies, but also to Sandberg's unique position in the public mind as the COO of Facebook and author of the corporate-feminist manifesto “Don't be afraid to take action. Woman, work and the will to lead" 2013.

For more than a decade, Sandberg has been the most powerful woman in Silicon Valley, and perhaps in business as a whole. Her book Dare to Take Action, which has sold over 4 million copies, launched a non-profit organization of the same name and inspired more than 50,000 women to form communities to discuss the challenges they face at work. At one time it was said that Sandburg could become secretary of the treasury or even a candidate for the presidency of the United States .

However, over the past few years, during which Facebook has been rocked by scandals and crises, Sandberg's reputation has suffered greatly. She was less and less the center of attention. In the early to mid-2010s, Sandberg was a household name, with the media portraying her as a tough but sympathetic leader challenging the ingrained sexism and perceived lack of humanity in Silicon Valley. But now everything has changed.