Sheryl Sandberg on Working With Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Home and Teen Usage
Facebook COO says teens are using more services now, but not leaving Facebook.
May 29, 2013 -- Turns out Apple CEO Tim Cook was just warming up the seat for Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg at the All Things D conference. Today Sandberg, who is also author of "Lean In," answered questions about everything from the future of Facebook to women in the workforce to running for public office. (No, she is not running for president.)
So what does Sandberg think about working with Mark Zuckerberg? Or the data that says teens are leaving Facebook? Here are five of the most interesting things Sandberg said on stage at the conference.
Teens Using Facebook
Sandberg isn't worried about the data or "memes," as she called it, that teens are increasingly using other social sites. However, she does acknowledge that teens are using other services more than they used to. "It is the case that teens are using other services more than they used other services before," she said. "Teenagers are using other things more, but they continue to be engaged Facebook users."
Facebook Home
Facebook Home software for Android, which takes over the phone interface, hasn't exactly been a huge success. The first phone to ship with the software -- the HTC First -- isn't selling well according to reports and many of the user reviews are less than positive. Sandberg says that this is just version one of the product.
"We are getting the feedback, it is very bimodal. We are reading every single user review. If they are heavy Facebook users, the metrics are working well for us. They are using Facebook 25 percent more and they are messaging more," she said. "The people that don't like it, don't like that it takes over the phone. They like the two core features: Cover Feed and Chat Heads. We are committed to monthly roll outs of it."
RELATED: Facebook Home and HTC First Review
On Buying Companies
Sandberg wouldn't directly talk about mergers or acquisitions, and wouldn't comment on whether the company is looking to buy Waze, a popular mobile mapping application. She said that the Instagram deal has been a big success. "We have to prioritize, it would be great if we could build everything," she explained when asked about Facebook looking into maps.
Leaning In
Sandberg talked about her book "Lean In," which is all about empowering women in the workforce. "Next time you are about to call your daughter bossy, say my daughter has executive leadership skills," Sandberg said. Sandberg addressed women in tech specifically. "It's really hard to get women computer scientists. If you could get as many women into computer science as men, you would close the gap of how many computer scientists we need."
Working with Mark Zuckerberg
Sandberg talked about her job and working with Zuckerberg. "I was going to work for a 23-year-old, everyone thought I was crazy," Sandberg said about her decision to join Facebook back in 2008. She says that the two split the responsibilities, with Zuckerberg focusing on products and design and Sandberg focusing on the business side of the social network.
She said that the two sit next to each other and Facebook message a lot. They meet once a week to give each other feedback.
Sandberg is a director of The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC and this website.