A few years ago, while in London for academic reasons, I came across accounts from a former Meta employee, a woman who had spent several years at the company. She described a workplace culture that was both exhilarating and toxic—resembling a fraternity house environment.
Back in January four years ago, Meta suspended Donald Trump’s account following the Capitol Hill attack. However, in 2025, major tech companies appear eager to regain favor with the new U.S. administration. They are rolling back diversity and inclusion programs, scaling down fact-checking efforts, and enabling the spread of disinformation and potentially harmful content.
Against this backdrop, a newly released memoir offers a revealing look at the industry. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, was published in the U.S. on March 11. Initially little known, the book gained widespread attention after Meta allegedly attempted to limit its distribution—only to unintentionally amplify its reach due to the Streisand effect.
Inside Meta’s Power and Influence
Sarah Wynn-Williams worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2017, eventually rising to the role of Director of Public Policy. In this position, she collaborated with governments, regulators, and institutions to advance the company’s interests. Throughout her tenure, she worked closely with key figures such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Joel Kaplan, Head of Global Policy.
Her book, Careless People, takes inspiration from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, drawing a comparison between Zuckerberg and Sandberg and the novel’s characters Tom and Daisy Buchanan: “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness.”
Power, Expansion, and Ethical Compromises
According to Wynn-Williams, one of Zuckerberg’s major ambitions was expanding Facebook’s presence in Asia. She claims he actively sought to gain favor with Chinese President Xi Jinping, even offering to modify Facebook’s content moderation policies to align with China’s strict regulations. His disregard for ethical concerns, she argues, was also evident in other instances, such as Facebook’s role in the 2017 Myanmar crisis. Official reports later confirmed that the platform contributed to inciting violence against the Rohingya minority by allowing the spread of hate speech.
Workplace Culture and Gender Dynamics
Wynn-Williams also sheds light on Meta’s internal culture, describing instances of sexism and elitism. She recalls how colleagues were frustrated by the sound of her newborn crying during work calls. Sandberg, known for her book Lean In, once advised her to “be smart and hire a Filipino nanny”—a remark that Wynn-Williams sees as emblematic of the company’s privileged and detached culture. She critiques Lean In, calling it a “reactionary guide for ambitious women” that overlooks the systemic barriers most women face.
Manipulating Users and Silencing Critics
The book also explores the intersection of technology and gender, revealing how Facebook reportedly tracked teenage users’ emotional states to target them with beauty product ads—such as after they deleted selfies. Wynn-Williams claims that Meta attempted to suppress her book before its release, even reaching out to journalists to gauge their awareness of it. Eventually, the company won an arbitration case that restricted the book’s distribution, preventing her from promoting it. However, despite these efforts, Careless People has climbed the bestseller charts in the United States, proving that attempts to suppress information can often have the opposite effect.
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