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Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook parent company Meta, is in hot water for allegedly pressuring the Daily Mail to kill a story idea about a restraining order filed against her former boyfriend Bobby Kotick, the CEO of video game company Activision Blizzard.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that MailOnline, the digital version of the British tabloid, reported on a restraining order that was filed in 2014 against Kotick by an ex-girlfriend. Court documents show the accuser alleged Kotick harassed her at her home and later received a temporary restraining order against him. Three weeks later, the order ended and the case was eventually thrown out of court, with the former girlfriend telling others that some of her claims were inaccurate.
Sources say Log that Sandberg contacted MailOnline twice about the Kotick story. The first instance came in 2016, when Sandberg and Kotick reportedly discussed how to handle the story with advisers and employees at their two companies. After being contacted by Sandberg, Martin Clarke, MailOnline’s editor at the time, reportedly told staff that the story would no longer run. In 2019, Sandberg allegedly sent an email to the chairman of the Daily MailThe parent company of — Jonathan Harmsworth, also known by his aristocratic title of Viscount Rothermere, whose great-grandfather founded the newspaper. After contacting him as the outlet investigated for the second time, Lord Rothermere referred Sandberg to Clarke.
Perhaps the most disturbing allegation against Sandberg – who published the 2013 empowerment book Bend over — is that she threatened Daily MailFacebook’s business connection with Facebook if the outlet were to publish the item. While the Log reports that Kotick told people that Sandberg made this quid pro quo in 2016, he and Meta denied that allegation on Thursday. “Sheryl Sandberg has never threatened MailOnline’s business relationship with Facebook in order to influence an editorial decision,” Meta’s statement read. However, the Log reports that Facebook is reviewing Sandberg’s actions and whether they violate company policies.