London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 18, 2026

Sheryl Sandberg sold $1.7 billion worth of Facebook stock over the last decade

Sheryl Sandberg sold $1.7 billion worth of Facebook stock over the last decade

Over the past decade, Sandberg has sold over 75% of her shares through regularly scheduled share sale programs.
Sheryl Sandberg leaves Meta as one of the highest-profile and most successful women in tech — and after more than $1.7 billion in stock sales.

Sandberg announced Wednesday that she is stepping down from her role as chief operating officer after 14 years at Meta, formerly known as Facebook. Sandberg will remain on the social media company’s board.

Sandberg’s wealth totals an estimated $1.6 billion, according to Forbes, making her the second wealthiest woman in tech after Meg Whitman. Whitman previously held the top job at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and is worth an estimated $3.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Sandberg is also one of the rare non-CEOs and non-founders to become a billionaire.

While many corporate executives tend to hold on to the bulk of their shares as a show of confidence in their companies, Sandberg has been an aggressive and consistent seller of Facebook (now Meta) stock.

Over the past decade, Sandberg has sold over 75% of her after-tax shares through regularly scheduled share sale programs, according to research firms that track the sales. In total, she sold over 22 million shares for more than $1.7 billion, according to analytics firm VerityData. Depending on the treatment of options and restricted stock sales, the total could actually be higher, according to another analytics firm, Smart Insider, which calculates her stock sales at closer to $1.9 billion.

“Her sales over the past decade makes her one of the biggest insider sellers at any U.S. company,” said Ben Silverman, director of research at VerityData.

A spokesperson for Sandberg said she acquired 48 million restricted stock units, options and shares during her time at the company. About 20 million were sold for taxes, and she sold 22 million of the remaining 28 million through a 10b5-1 pre-schedule selling program.

Sandberg cashed out shares at a wide range of prices as Facebook shares soared. The stock priced at $38 per share in the company’s initial public offering in 2012 and peaked above $382 per share in September.

Sandberg’s average stock sale price over the past decade was $79.10 per share, according to VerityData, with her most recent sale in October 2019.

Despite her billionaire status, Sandberg hasn’t shown the penchant for yachts, private jets and beach homes shown by other tech tycoons. According to media reports, in 2013 she moved into a newly built, 9,200-square-foot home in Menlo Park, California, close to Facebook’s headquarters, that features a wine room, gym, waterfall and solar panels on the roof.

Sandberg has also gifted some of the proceeds of her sales to charity. In 2016, she gave $107.2 million to her donor-advised fund at Fidelity Charitable. At the time she didn’t say which charities she would fund, but has said she plans to support programs that increase opportunities for women and girls.

Sandberg’s spokesperson said she had made total reportable gifts of 4.9 million shares, with 2.8 million shares to her donor-advised fund and 2.1 million irrevocable transfers to trusts for beneficiaries. Smart Insider estimates Sandberg has given away $484 million in shares.

In announcing her departure on Wednesday, Sandberg said the decision to leave Meta will allow her to focus more on her philanthropic work.

Sandberg has also been an active political donor, contributing to Democratic candidates and frequently hosting Democratic fundraisers.

She still owns nearly 1.5 million shares, with a current market value of about $290 million, in a revocable trust. She also has 333,642 shares of unvested restricted stock, some of which may vest before she leaves.

Meta shares closed on Wednesday at $188.64.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
For 36 Years, He Scammed About 300 Luxury Hotels — Until He Was Caught
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Andy Burnham Takes Labour Leadership and Prepares to Become Britain’s Seventh Prime Minister in a Decade
Tech Companies Want to Move Computing Off Your Screen and Onto Your Body
White House Teleprompter Operator Earned More Than $100,000 From Bets Linked to the President's Speeches
French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote After Controversial Budget Cuts
European Commission Opens Excessive Deficit Procedure Against France
French Senate Blocks Key Immigration Reform Measures
French Government Pushes EU Action Against Ultra-Fast Fashion Imports
French Parliament Debates Expanded Autonomy Powers for Corsica
France Reopens Autonomy Talks With New Caledonia After Months of Unrest
Bordeaux Wine Producers Seek Three Hundred Million Euro Aid Package After Export Collapse
French Farmers Block Spain Border Crossings Over Imported Food Competition
Cannes Film Festival Bans Fully Artificial Intelligence-Generated Films From Competition
TotalEnergies Shifts More Than Three Billion Euros of Green Investment From Europe to the United States
LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault Presents Succession Plan for Luxury Empire
Kering Reports Fifteen Percent Revenue Drop as Chinese Luxury Demand Weakens
Sanofi Reports Positive Results From Messenger RNA Respiratory Vaccine Trials
France Places Energy Price Caps Under Review to Protect Households Through Winter
EDF Connects Two New Nuclear Reactors to France’s Electricity Grid
Mistral Secures European Commission Contract for Sovereign Artificial Intelligence Models
Renault Opens Next-Generation Electric Battery Plant in Northern France
Air France Signs Two Billion Euro Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal to Cut Emissions
Marseille Launches Three Billion Euro Port Expansion to Strengthen Mediterranean Trade Role
French-Owned Ubisoft Announces Global Restructuring With Nearly One Thousand Job Cuts
National Railway Operator Suspends Artificial Intelligence Ticket Pricing System After Consumer Backlash
United Kingdom to Ban Sales of High-Caffeine Energy Drinks to Under-Sixteens
Home Office Designates Iranian and Russian Paramilitary Groups as National Security Threats
National Health Service Launches Housing Plan to Retain London Healthcare Workers
British Heatwave Fuels Wildfires and Emergency Evacuations in Scotland
United Kingdom and Estonia Sign Defence Agreement to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to African Nations by More Than Eighty Percent
Bank of England Overhauls Banking Rules to Encourage More Lending to Businesses
United Kingdom and India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force, Reshaping Bilateral Economic Ties
Andy Burnham Confirmed as New Labour Leader and Prime Minister-Designate
UK Government Faces Pressure Over Extreme Heat Workplace Rules
Lewisham Council Blocks Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Enforcement
UK Parliament Investigates Growing Pressures on Scotch Whisky Industry
Teen Hackers Sentenced Over Thirty-Nine Million Pound Transport for London Cyber Attack
Ministry of Defence Acquires Scottish Fuel Terminal to Strengthen Royal Navy Operations
Bank of England Eases Rules as Economic Growth Remains Weak
Bank of England Governor Warns Andy Burnham on Britain’s Long Economic Stagnation
UK Defence Ministry Buys Scottish Fuel Terminal to Secure Naval Energy Supplies
UK Secures Access to European Defence Contracts Through Ukraine Support Deal
Bank of England Plans Easier Capital Rules to Encourage More Lending
Met Office Says England and Wales Have Already Broken Summer Heat Records
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Investigation Into Murder of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
UK Government Nationalises British Steel to Protect Domestic Steel Production
French National Assembly Overrides Senate to Pass Historic Assisted-Dying Legislation
Spanish Prime Minister's Wife Ordered to Stand Trial as Corruption Probes Encircle Governing Party
×