Facebook hires Google exec

Social networking site gets new COO

5 March 2008 8:18 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Facebook has announced that Sheryl Sandberg will join the company as chief operating officer starting on March 24,
2008.

As COO, Sandberg will be responsible for helping Facebook scale its operations and expand its presence globally.

Sandberg will manage sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, privacy and communications and will report directly to Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Sandberg joins Facebook after 6 years at Google, where she served as vice president of global online sales and operations.

"Sheryl is a great manager who will help scale Facebook's operations globally", said Zuckerberg.

"She has relevant experience and a track record of scaling business operations and building new kinds of advertising networks. Sheryl understands Facebook's goal of connecting everyone in the world and is passionate about building a business that will enable us to realize this mission."

"I have learned so much during my time at Google, and I've loved working with the people there", said Sandberg.

"Together, with Mark and the great team at Facebook, we'll be able to scale this company into a global leader and enable Facebook users worldwide to communicate and share information better. I am thrilled to have this opportunity."

The news has sent Google's shares plummeting to a 52-week low, dropping as much as 4.6%.