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A decade-old memoir by a former Facebook employee, initially a niche publication exposing the company's inner workings, has become an international bestseller — largely due to Meta’s own actions.
The book, "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism," by former global policy manager Sarah Wynn-Williams, has reignited scrutiny over Facebook’s past, drawing enthusiasm from lawmakers in the U.S. Congress and European parliaments.
Meta's legal battle fuels book sales
Wynn-Williams, 45, a London-based former lawyer, worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017 before being fired for “poor performance” and “toxic behavior.” She claims she was dismissed after reporting sexual harassment, an allegation Meta denies.
Released in the U.S. on March 11, “Careless People” might have been a fleeting media blip. However, Meta’s aggressive legal attempts to suppress it, including a binding arbitration order barring Wynn-Williams from promoting the book, turned it into a phenomenon.
Dubbed “the book Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t want you to read,” it shot to the top of The New York Times bestseller list within a week, selling 60,000 copies and securing the third spot on Amazon’s bestseller list. Despite a court order preventing her from giving interviews or discussing the book online, it remains prominently displayed in bookstores across the U.S.
Observers see this as a textbook case of the “Streisand effect,” where efforts to suppress information only amplify its reach. The term originates from singer Barbra Streisand’s unsuccessful 2003 attempt to remove a photo of her Malibu home from public view, which led to wider dissemination of the image.
What’s in the book that worries Meta?
Meta argues that Wynn-Williams violated a non-disclosure agreement signed upon her dismissal, which prohibited her from revealing company information. The company’s PR team began issuing denials before most had even read the book.
“Careless People” details private conversations between Wynn-Williams and Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg and Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s current head of global policy and key liaison with the Trump administration. It includes emails, meeting accounts and anecdotes illustrating the culture at Facebook.
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Zuckerberg, she writes, was “obsessed” with breaking into the Chinese market, even if it required creating censorship tools to appease Beijing. She also claims he showed little concern for employee well-being. Kaplan, she alleges, pressured her to work during maternity leave and regularly made inappropriate comments — an accusation Meta denies.
Sandberg, however, is portrayed as the book’s central figure. Wynn-Williams describes her as a charismatic but domineering leader prone to outbursts. One scene recounts finding Sandberg and her 26-year-old assistant embracing in the back of a car.
Another describes a private jet flight from Davos where Sandberg allegedly invited the then-pregnant Wynn-Williams to share her bed. The book also claims Sandberg collaborated with Ireland’s prime minister to craft corporate tax avoidance strategies.
While some former colleagues confirmed elements of the book, others accused Wynn-Williams of misrepresentation. Meta dismissed the memoir as a mix of “recycled claims about the company and outright falsehoods about our leadership.”
The book’s publisher, Flatiron (a Macmillan imprint), acknowledged that it was not fact-checked to journalistic standards, saying, “These are her personal recollections, not a news report.”
A growing backlash
The controversy surrounding “Careless People” continues to escalate. Legal experts suggest Meta understands the damage its crackdown has caused but is fighting to set a precedent for enforcing NDAs.
In February, the company laid off 3,600 employees (5% of its workforce), citing performance issues. Many believe the current legal battle is intended as a warning to both past and future employees.
This week, Wynn-Williams' lawyers petitioned the court to lift the gag order, arguing that “members of the U.S. Congress, the UK Parliament and the European Parliament have requested to speak with Ms. Wynn-Williams about the public interest issues raised in her memoir.”
Despite Meta’s repeated scandals over the past decade, “Careless People” appears to offer new insights — even under a second Trump administration. The book suggests that the dismantling of the federal government under Trump ally Elon Musk stems directly from Zuckerberg’s guiding philosophy: “Move fast and break things — at any cost.”
As she concludes her memoir, Wynn-Williams warns: “The more power Facebook’s leaders accumulate, the less accountability they face.”
First published: 21:13, 03.25.25