Leo ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ queen of Facebook’s way of thinking
Taoiseach talked tax with Sandberg... and just loved her book!
IT’S not yet known if they are Facebook friends but it seems Leo Varadkar ‘likes’ social network queen Cheryl Sandberg’s way of thinking – especially on tax.
The Taoiseach enjoyed a powwow with the most powerful woman in Facebook and filled her in on Irish and EU tax changes during a dinner intended to highlight the needs of developing countries, the Irish Daily Mail has learned.
‘I found our conversation on developments on tax, including at EU level, interesting. Let’s stay in touch as matters evolve,’ Mr Varadkar wrote to Ms Sandberg, the social media giant’s chief operating officer – considered the most powerful woman in Silicon Valley.
The pair had met at the World Economic Summit’s Davos conference in January – where the world’s most powerful people meet to talk economic policies.
Their correspondence shows they discussed tax at a dinner hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at promoting development aid for African countries, and that they had a more ‘formal’ chat at a Davos discussion centre.
Mr Varadkar read her business leadership book on the flight back to Dublin and wrote to Ms Sandberg to tell her how much he liked it, Freedom of Information records obtained by the Mail show.
Facebook’s European base is in Dublin and the company has a strong interest in maintaining Ireland’s low corporate tax rate.
It has also expressed concern about the European Commission’s ruling that Apple must pay Ireland €13billion in unpaid taxes – something the Commission criticised as Irish ‘state aid’ to US multinational companies.
The records show Ms Sandberg wrote to the Taoiseach after Davos to thank him for all the work the Government does ‘to make Ireland a great place’ for the company’s European base.
She famously enjoyed a warm relationship with Mr Varadkar’s predecessor Enda Kenny, and now it appears she has struck up a similar rapport with the current Taoiseach, according to a series of their emails, which gush with mutual admiration.
The businesswoman and bestselling author of the books Lean In and Option B wrote to the Taoiseach in January this year after meeting him at an exclusive and ‘high-level’ dinner in Davos organised by Kate Garvey, a former aide to Tony Blair when he was Britain’s prime minister. An email from ONE Foundation co-founder Jamie Drummond to Mr Varadkar’s private secretary last December details a dinner and reception with billionaire Bill Gates at Davos. It outlines how Mr Drummond, a close friend of Bono, ‘recommends strongly’ that Mr Varadkar would attend the January 24 engagement with a ‘small select group regarding the Global Goals’ in Davos, if ‘schedules permit’.
This suggestion came from Mr Drummond shortly after a dinner engagement between Bono, the Taoiseach and three other Government officials – after which the U2 rocker hailed Mr Varadkar as being a ‘21st-century leader’.
During this meeting late last year, the Taoiseach said they discussed how Ireland would increase its commitment to international development over the coming years. And Mr Drummond said the ‘high-level dinner’ in Davos would also be about ‘many of the subjects we discussed’ at that engagement.
And it appears the Taoiseach and his team took the advice of Mr Drummond, as on January 26, Facebook COO Ms Sandberg wrote to him to express how ‘wonderful’ it was to meet him in the swish Swiss resort. It seems that Ireland’s generous corporate tax rate was much discussed between them – neither of them mentioned the Gates foundation’s goals in Africa or the One Foundation.
Starting off by thanking him for ‘making time during such a busy week’ to meet with her, Ms Sandberg went on to assure him of Facebook’s commitment to Ireland. She said: ‘We all continue to be grateful for the work your Government does to make Ireland a great place for our European headquarters. We will continue to invest in Dublin and look forward to growing our office over the coming year. Our Head of Policy in Ireland, Niamh Sweeney (copied), will stay in close touch with your team. Wishing you safe travels home. My very best, Sheryl.’
The Taoiseach was clearly keen to get to know more about the formidable businesswoman, as just days later he responded and gushed about reading her book.
On January 30, Mr Varadkar wrote: ‘Dear Sheryl. Was good to make your acquaintance and to meet with you at the Gates dinner and also more formally at the Congress Centre. Started reading your book on the plane home. It’s really great. I found our conversation on developments on tax, including at EU level, interesting. Let’s stay in touch as matters evolve.’
Mr Varadkar also refers to Facebook’s head of policy in Ireland, Niamh Sweeney, and shares that he knew her in college and when she worked for the Government, hailing her as a ‘great person’.
A clearly pleased Ms Sandberg responded on February 1 to express delight that he was taking the time to read her book. She wrote: ‘Taoiseach, thanks for your note – I’m so glad you are enjoying my book. It means a lot that you’re taking the time to read it!’
She hails Ms Sweeney as doing an excellent job, before signing off with what appears to be an informal request to meet again.
‘I look forward to staying in touch – and please do let me know if you plan to visit California again. My very best, Sheryl,’ she added.
This fascinating correspondence – obtained by the Mail through a Freedom of Information request – reveals some of the sophisticated circles our young Taoiseach moved in during his time in Davos this year, his first trip there as head of our Government.
As the Mail previously revealed, Bono sat down for dinner with the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and senior civil servant Martin Fraser on December 15, according to a diary entry from the Taoiseach’s department.
Days later, Bono wrote a deferential note to ‘Dear Taoiseach, Leo’ to tell him he found it to be ‘an inspiring, brilliant evening and conversation’. He also told the Taoiseach it made him ‘feel unutterably proud… our country entrusted to three wise men, and their 21st-century leader’.
And in a letter previously published by this paper, the singer wrote to the Taoiseach on January 30, just days after the ‘highlevel dinner’ in Davos. In reference to the dinner with Ms Sandberg, Bono wrote: ‘By all accounts, you made your presence felt and Ireland proud over there.’
Last year, Facebook announced a change or shift in its tax arrangements. And it has signalled that it would book advertising revenues in countries where it is earned or generated as opposed to everything going through Dublin.
It is understood the Taoiseach and the Facebook COO had a general discussion about broader trends on digital tax, including EU tax proposals.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that during their ‘pre-scheduled bilateral’, the pair discussed a number of issues including Brexit and global developments.
Emails gushed with mutual admiration ‘I’m so glad you are enjoying my book’