Zuckerberg's decision is still unusual among high-level
tech executives and is sure to send a message about
work-life balance.
Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg
said on Friday he will take two months of paternity
leave after his daughter's birth, though he did not say
when she is due.
The 31-year-old, one of Silicon Valley's most visible
leaders, did not say who would be running the company
while he is out. Facebook did not immediately respond
to an inquiry.
Facebook, the world's biggest online social network,
allows its U.S. employees to take up to four months of
paid maternity or paternity leave, which they can use
all at once or throughout the first year of their child's
life, which is generous by U.S. standards. Zuckerberg
announced in July that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan ,
were expecting a baby girl.
A 2015 study by the Society for Human Resource
Management found that 21 percent of employers it
surveyed offered paid maternity leave, and 17 percent
provided paid paternity leave. But several technology
companies have recently extended parental leave
allowances in an attempt to recruit and retain talent.
"This is a very personal decision," Zuckerberg wrote on
his Facebook page, along with a picture of a stroller, a
yellow baby carrier and his dog, Beast. "Studies show
that when working parents take time to be with their
newborns, outcomes are better for the children and
families."
While it's unclear who will run the company in
Zuckerberg's absence, it is likely that chief operating
officer Sheryl Sandberg , who oversees all of Facebook's
advertising, will assume leadership. Zuckerberg largely
oversees products, but will likely rely on chief product
officer Chris Cox while he is out.
Zuckerberg's decision is still unusual among high-level
tech executives and is sure to send a message about
parental leave policies and work-life balance.
Yahoo Inc CEO Marissa Mayer only took two weeks off
for after her first child in 2012, and when she
announced she was pregnant with identical twin girls in
September, she said she would be taking limited
maternity leave and "working throughout."
Zuckerberg's post generated more than 50,000 'likes' in
one hour and nearly 3,000 comments. Many of the
comments lauded his decision and said it sent a
positive message about U.S. parental leave policies.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer,
commented and congratulated Zuckerberg and his wife,
Priscilla Chan. "I can't wait to meet her," she wrote.
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