Facebook CEO to take 2 months paternity leave

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.