Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg want you to know they’re still friends and definitely not mad at each other

Thursday, The New York Times published a about the rise to power of Stephen Miller, a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump known for his views on immigration. Normally, a story like this wouldn’t get much attention in the tech press. But the piece opened with an anecdote about Mark Zuckerberg that immediately raised eyebrows.

The story details a recent meeting Miller had with Zuckerberg when the Meta CEO traveled to Mar-a-Lago last year. According to The TimesZuckerberg – who soon gave up the role of Meta efforts and pit programs – “blamed its former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook that encouraged employee expression in the workplace.”

This line started a new round of speculation (and some outrage) in tech circles. Sandberg, who left Meta and he rose to fame after authoring his women in the labor manifesto Lean Inshe was known for her once close collaboration with Zuckerberg at the top of Facebook. That Zuckerberg blames his former lieutenant for promoting “inclusivity” in his company, even among longtime observers of the company.

“She always knew who Mark Zuckerberg was and covered for him,” New York Times Journalist Sheera Frankel, who co-wrote a book about Facebook’s dominance, observed . “The question is whether he’s going to continue to do so when he’s so blatantly throwing it under the (Trump) bus.” Longtime tech reporter and expert Kara Swisher that “the people I spoke with tonight from the Facebook era of Mark/Sheryl are shocked but not surprised by his guilt.”

I also stepped on mine share a link to a Business Insider from February citing an interview in which Zuckerberg said Sandberg had raised him “like a parent.” I joked that the comment hadn’t aged well.

But on Friday, Zuckerberg decided to let me (and I guess everyone else) know that he and Sandberg are still cool, after all. “Sheryl did an amazing job at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry,” he wrote in at my place. “He built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me a lot about who I am.”

Zuckerberg did not respond when I asked if Sandberg was too focused on the DEI initiatives at Meta or if he has moved away from the “male energy” he has recently. corporations should embody. (In particular, he did not deny The Times’ reporting his comments on Sandberg.)

But, a few minutes later, Sandberg to let him know that there are no hard feelings on his part. “Thank you, @zuck. I will always be grateful for the many years we spent building a great business together – and for your friendship that got me through some of the hardest times of my life and continues to this day .

Zuckerberg responded with a .

So, I guess that settles it. Nothing to see here, folks. Mark and Sheryl are definitely still friends. They may no longer work in the same company, but they are still able to come together to make a potential. What could be more inspiring than this?