Dave Goldberg, the CEO of online survey company SurveyMonkey and husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, died suddenly Friday night. He was 47 years old.
His brother Robert confirmed the news in a Facebook post:
“It’s with incredible shock and sadness that I’m letting our friends and family know that my amazing brother, Dave Goldberg, beloved husband of Sheryl Sandberg, father of two wonderful children, and son of Paula Goldberg, passed away suddenly last night.”
“In this time of sorrow, we mourn his passing and remember what an amazing husband, father, brother, son and friend he was,” Robert also wrote. “No words can express the depth of loss we feel, but we want his children to learn how much he meant to all of you.”
“We are deeply saddened to announce that Dave Goldberg passed away suddenly last night,” SurveyMonkey said in a press release. “Dave’s genius, courage and leadership were overshadowed only by his compassion, friendship and heart. His greatest love was for his family. Our sympathy goes out to them and to all who were touched by this extraordinary man. We are all heartbroken.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted his condolences in a touching post on Saturday morning, saying: “Dave Goldberg was an amazing person and I am glad I got to know him. My thoughts and prayers are with Sheryl and her family.”
Under Goldberg’s leadership, SurveyMonkey went from a business that employed 12 people to now employing 500. The company has approximately 25 million customers and creates 90 million surveys a month. According to the company’s website, 99% of all Fortune 500 companies use their online survey tools.
Goldberg joined SurveyMonkey in 2009 after serving as vice president and general manager of Yahoo Music. He joined Yahoo after the company bought one of his earliest business ventures, LAUNCH Media, in 2001. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government.