Sheryl Sandberg says women aren't losing ambition. Companies are pushing them out.

Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Meta and founder of the Lean In organization, said it's "concerning" that fewer women are interested in promotions compared to men — despite being just as motivated.

Bloomberg/Getty Images Sheryl Sandberg says she's disappointed to see fewer women in corporate leadership.

She said women are as ambitious as men but feel they're valued less in the workplace.

She believes companies could do more to retain and encourage female leaders.

More than a decade after telling women to "lean in," Sheryl Sandberg is concerned that more are leaning out — but not because they lack ambition.

Sandberg, Meta's former COO and author of the 2013 bestseller "Lean In," told Business Insider that there's a gender gap when it comes to leadership ambitions in 2026.

"This is not the women who are saying, 'I don't want to do it,'" Sandberg, 57, said.

"It's the women saying, 'I don't want to do it because I'm not wanted, I'm not getting the same opportunities and the same support, and I face an unfair burden at home.'" Lean In, the nonprofit organization Sandberg founded in tandem with her book's publication, has been releasing its annual Women in the Workplace reports with McKinsey since 2015.

In its 2025 Women in the Workplace report , which surveyed 9,500 US employees across 124 organizations, Lean In found that, despite having practically identical levels of career motivation as men, women were less likely to want a promotion .

Lean In's 2025 Women in the Workplace report found a gender gap when it came to women wanting promotions.

Lean In When asked why, 25% of the women who didn't want to advance cited "personal obligations," compared to 15% of men who said the same.

The report also found gaps in household labor as well as opportunities for mentorship for women.

At Business Insider, we've been covering this trend.

Amid mass layoffs and newly enforced RTO mandates , some women who have moved up in the corporate world during the "Lean In" era are feeling burnt out and are stepping back.