Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg stated in an interview that she “walk[s] out of this office every day at 5:30 so I’m home for dinner with my kids at 6.”.  We're waiting for the following past email to surface from Mark Zuckerberg to cause a big work/life balance stink:

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From:   Mark Zuckerberg
To:     Sheryl Sandberg
Date:   04/11/2012 7:50 PM
Subject:  I'm Going To Buy Instagram for 1B Large

Sheryl -

I'm going to buy Instagram for 1B large.  Signing the papers when I meet their team tonight.  Speak now or forever hold your peace.  Sorry I haven't brought anyone in on this, but I wanted to work through it on my own.  Because I am... #C..E..O.. you know the rest...

Call or email if you have concerns.  Doing the deal in two hours at Caribou Coffee.

Zuck

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I know, that's mean... To think that leaving the office at a reasonable time could ever keep you out of the loop, right?  Full support of work/life balance from KD, and my biggest reaction to the news of her leaving at 5:30 every night is that "ballers ball".  Meaning - people who perform can do anything they want.  I'm more concerned that one of your non-performers, who can never seem to get anything done and repeatedly frustrates his manager by leaving at 5:02 every day, is going to use the Sandberg news as rationalization for the elevator dinging at that time daily.

Ballers ball.  Performers with kids can do anything they want.  9 to 5ers will never be cruising email or industry sites on nights or weekends, mainly because there's no passion there. Doesn't matter if they have kids or not.

9 to 5ers leave at 5 and probably don't see the email from Zuck.  Ballers always see the email.