Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former global public policy director at Facebook, has released her memoir, Careless People, which unveils the toxic culture and ethical failures she witnessed during her tenure at the tech giant. The book, published on March 11, 2025, has ignited discussions across Silicon Valley and beyond, offering stark revelations about the leadership styles of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg.
Having worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017, Wynn-Williams provides firsthand accounts of what she describes as leaders operating within "an opaque bubble completely detached from reality." Critics have often posited Zuckerberg as the strategic genius behind Facebook's rise, but Wynn-Williams likens him instead to "a cross between a truculent teen and a toddler," noting his reluctance to attend early meetings with world leaders and his tendency to dictate play during board games.
Beyond the colorful anecdotes about executive behavior, Careless People dives deep, asserting serious allegations against Facebook's corporate ethics. The memoir outlines how the platform facilitated the dissemination of misinformation, particularly during politically sensitive times. Facebook, Wynn-Williams asserts, embedded employees within Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign to help his team maximize the platform’s advertising tools. This fact was later acknowledged privately by Zuckerberg, who admitted Facebook's influence on the election.
Wynn-Williams also highlights Facebook’s involvement, or lack thereof, during crises such as the violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar. She recounts how the United Nations accused the platform of fueling genocide against this ethnic minority, claiming its unchecked virality greatly contributed to the deadly consequences.
More troubling are the insinuations of inappropriate workplace interactions. Wynn-Williams alleges sexual harassment by Joel Kaplan, who recently succeeded Nick Clegg as Meta’s head of global affairs. Meta has contested these claims, declaring them as "misleading and unfounded," yet they add to the overall picture of dysfunctionality.
Meanwhile, the release of Careless People has not come without backlash. Shortly after the announcement, Meta obtained a temporary injunction preventing Wynn-Williams from promoting the book. Despite these efforts, the memoir quickly climbed Amazon’s bestseller charts, reaching No. 4—an indication of its relevant and explosive content.
Meta's response to the book was defiant, claiming, "This book is a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives." These reactions only highlight the intensified scrutiny and tensions between corporate narratives and whistleblower accounts.
Wynn-Williams does not shy away from critiquing Sandberg, who, once celebrated as a figurehead for women’s empowerment through her book Lean In, is portrayed as more interested in consolidative power than actual support for women within the organization. "The rules just don’t apply," Wynn-Williams asserts about the loose corporate culture, filled with nepotism and stale accountability.
The backlash she has faced for her whistleblowing raises significant questions about corporate governance and power dynamics within tech firms. "I had to ask myself: who was my silence benefiting?" she reflects, expressing her conflicted emotions after years of discretion. Through her tell-all, she hopes to shed light on the need for accountability and transparency within tech companies wielding unprecedented power.
"We blindly wandered through the social media era. We cannot afford to do the same with AI," she warns, emphasizing the catastrophic potential of unregulated technological advancements. She expresses concerns over how figures like Zuckerberg and Elon Musk wield "unfathomable power," which is exacerbated by their looming influence over nascent technologies.
Looking back at her experiences, Wynn-Williams frames the tale as not just about Facebook, but about the future of how such tech companies operate and engage with society at large. Her insights offer sharp commentary on the increasing entwinement of technology with politics and the risks involved.
The revelations contained within Careless People challenge readers to examine the real-world impact of social media and corporate practices, creating ripples through the public discourse about accountability among tech giants. Whether her account fosters changes or merely serves as another cautionary tale remains to be seen, but Wynn-Williams has undeniably opened the curtains on the inner workings of one of the world’s largest corporations.