PALO ALTO, Calif. – Only months after her best-selling expose on workplace inequality, “Lean In,” hit bookshelves, author Sheryl Sandberg has updated the title to ”Cave In.”
“’Lean In’ was just too flimsy,” Sandberg admitted. “I realized that I needed something that really prepared women for life in the workplace. So I decided the best course of action for women in any professional environment should be ‘Cave in.’ It’s gold.”
Sandberg adopted the new title in the wake of a controversy involving her nonprofit group Lean In, which drew criticism last week when a staffer posted an opening for an unpaid editorial intern. Critics pointed out that the move was in stark contrast to the cries for workplace equality in Sandberg’s latest book and claimed “the whole affair reeks of narcissism and hypocrisy.”
“I don’t understand the uproar,” said Sandberg. “Young people have always given their time and energy to the corporate world for no money. It’s a tradition. Why would anyone want to change tradition?”
But then Lean In backpedaled from the original job posting. Jessica Bennett, the employee at Lean In who posted the position on Facebook, said the no-pay position was not an official Lean In “employment” opportunity. Shortly after, Lean In announced a paid internship.
Sandberg said the new catch phrase “Cave In” best captures her organization’s rapid response to the media firestorm. She says women everywhere can apply the “Cave In” ideology to all aspects of their lives – including arguments with their employers, disagreements with their spouses or fights with their children.
“Just cave in!” Sandberg said. “I now realize women should just do what people want to them to without expecting to get paid for it.”
