Dave Goldberg
David Goldberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 2, 1967 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 2015 (aged 47) Near Punta Mita, Mexico |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, management consultant |
| Known for | Founder of LAUNCH Media, CEO of SurveyMonkey |
| Spouse | Sheryl Sandberg (m. 2004) |
David Bruce Goldberg (October 2, 1967 – May 1, 2015) was a prominent American entrepreneur and management consultant. He was the founder of LAUNCH Media and held the position of CEO at SurveyMonkey. Goldberg was married to Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.
Early life and education
Born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois on October 2, 1967, Goldberg grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His mother, Paula Goldberg, is a co-founder and director of the Pacer Center, while his father, Melvin Bert "Mel" Goldberg (1942–1998), served as associate dean and professor at the William Mitchell College of Law. During his high school years, Goldberg gained experience interning at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He completed his secondary education at Blake School in 1985 and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in history and government from Harvard University in 1989. Throughout his life, he maintained a strong allegiance to the Minnesota Vikings.
Career
Following college, Goldberg spent two years working for Bain & Company. Although he initially intended to pursue law school, he instead took a role at Capitol Records as director of marketing strategy and new business development. In 1994, he established LAUNCH Media, which he guided until its acquisition by Yahoo Inc. in 2001. After departing Yahoo in 2007, Goldberg joined Benchmark Capital and later became CEO of SurveyMonkey in 2009.
Personal life
Goldberg wed Sheryl Sandberg in 2004. The couple had two children and resided in Menlo Park, California. Both were committed philanthropists and were signatories of The Giving Pledge.
Death and memorials
On May 1, 2015, Goldberg passed away unexpectedly while vacationing near the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in Punta Mita, Mexico. He was declared dead upon arrival at a hospital in Nuevo Vallarta. Early accounts suggested his death resulted from head injuries sustained during a treadmill accident; however, Sandberg later revealed that an arrhythmia caused by previously undiagnosed coronary artery disease was the actual cause.
His death prompted tributes from leading figures in Silicon Valley: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described him as "an amazing person," Twitter CEO Dick Costolo acknowledged his exceptional character, and LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner recalled him as kind-hearted and generous. Additionally, professional poker player Phil Hellmuth, a close friend, gifted his record-setting 14th World Series of Poker bracelet to Goldberg’s family.
A memorial service took place on May 5, 2015, at Stanford Memorial Auditorium, attended by technology leaders and celebrities including U2’s lead singer Bono, who performed, and actor Ben Affleck, with whom Goldberg had collaborated on Live Planet and The Eastern Congo Initiative.
One month after Goldberg’s passing, Sandberg authored a widely circulated essay on Facebook discussing grief and perseverance. This post garnered significant attention within business circles, underscoring Goldberg’s lasting influence on the technology sector.