Sheryl Sandberg allegedly leant on Daily Mail news site to drop stories about ex-boyfriend

Sheryl Sandberg, the Meta executive, allegedly pressured the Daily Mail to drop unflattering stories about her then-boyfriend Bobby Kotick, the Activision Blizzard CEO, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Some Facebook executives believe any effort by Sandberg to stop a news article could have been seen as a threat given her powerful role at the company, the Journal reported.

In a statement, Kotick told the Journal that its reporting was inaccurate, and that he never said Sandberg threatened the Daily Mail. Instead, Kotick said, the Mail chose not to run the story because it was not true.

The Daily Mail did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Guardian.