As Facebook faces fire, heat turns up on No. 2 Sandberg

For the past decade, Sheryl Sandberg has been the poised, reliable second-in-command to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, helping steer Facebook's rapid growth around the world, while also cultivating her brand in ways that hint at aspirations well beyond the social network.

But with growing criticism over the company's practices, or lack of oversight, her carefully cultivated brand as an eloquent feminist leader is showing cracks.

Questions these days aren't so much about whether she'll run for the Senate or even president, but whether she ought to keep her job at Facebook.

Though the chances of an ouster are slim, the fact that it has even come up shows the extent of Facebook's and Sandberg's troubles.

"Her brand was being manicured with the same resources and care as the gardens of Tokyo," said Scott Galloway, a New York University marketing professor.

"And unfortunately a hurricane has come through the garden."
A representative instead pointed to Zuckerberg's remarks that overall, "Sheryl is doing great work for the company. She's been a very important partner to me and continues to be, and will continue to be. She's leading a lot of the efforts to improve our systems in these areas."