Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook (now Meta) executive, has published a shocking memoir, Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work, exposing the inner workings of the social media giant. The book details Facebook’s toxic work culture, aggressive global expansion tactics, and how CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his team prioritized growth over ethics. Originally reported by The Guardian, Wynn-Williams' revelations highlight Facebook’s failures, from data privacy concerns to enabling political manipulation and even workplace harassment.
The Facebook ‘Cult’ and toxic work culture
Wynn-Williams worked at Facebook from 2011 to 2018, rising to the position of director of global public policy. She describes the company as an almost “cult-like” environment, where employees were expected to be devoted to its mission at all costs.
In one shocking incident, she recalls working on a memo during labour, moments before giving birth. She was drafting an update on Facebook’s expansion in Myanmar for then-COO Sheryl Sandberg. Her husband was furious, but the hospital doctor had to step in and physically close her laptop.
Sarah Wynn-Williams ‘Careless People’ exposes Facebook’s power, hypocrisy, and harassment scandals
She also highlights Facebook’s extreme work expectations for women, referencing Sandberg’s Lean In philosophy, which encouraged women to work tirelessly, even during pregnancy. The reality, she later realized, was that this culture promoted self-exploitation rather than empowerment.
Facebook’s global expansion and ethical failures
One of the book’s most alarming revelations is Facebook’s role in fueling hate speech and violence in Myanmar. Zuckerberg’s Free Basics program, which aimed to provide free internet access in developing countries, was marketed as a philanthropic effort. However, Wynn-Williams exposes how it was a strategy for Facebook to dominate the internet in those regions.
She admits that initially, she believed in Facebook’s mission to connect the world. However, she later realized that in Myanmar, Facebook became a tool for the military junta to spread hate speech and incite violence against the Muslim Rohingya population.
Wynn-Williams writes, “Myanmar would have been a better place if Facebook had not arrived.”
Sexual harassment and power struggles at Meta
The book also details widespread sexual harassment on Facebook. Wynn-Williams recounts how senior executives, including Meta’s global affairs chief Joel Kaplan, allegedly made inappropriate advances toward female employees. She describes a company culture where high-ranking men were protected while women were expected to stay silent.
She also shares a disturbing incident in which Sandberg invited her to sleep in the same bed during a work trip. While she declined, she later worried that rejecting the offer might have harmed her career.
According to Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg, knew about these issues but did little to address them.
Facebook’s role in political manipulation
Wynn-Williams criticizes Facebook’s handling of political advertising and misinformation, particularly during the 2016 US elections. She describes how Facebook’s ad-targeting system was used to spread disinformation, influence elections, and manipulate users.
She accuses Zuckerberg of misleading Congress about the extent of Facebook’s cooperation with the Chinese government. She claims that behind closed doors, Facebook was developing censorship tools to comply with China’s strict regulations, contradicting Zuckerberg’s public statements.
Meta Responds: Denies allegations, calls Memoir ‘Outdated’
Following the book’s release, Meta dismissed Wynn-Williams’ claims, stating that she was a disgruntled former employee trying to sell books. A company spokesperson labelled the memoir “a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims, along with false accusations about our executives.”
Despite this, Wynn-Williams argues that Facebook’s culture remains unchanged, even after rebranding to Meta. She warns that as Zuckerberg expands into artificial intelligence, the company’s irresponsibility and pursuit of profit could pose even greater risks.
Her book, published by Pan Macmillan, serves as a critical insider account of Facebook’s rise to power, its internal dysfunction, and the consequences of its unchecked influence on society.
Credits: This article is based on a report by The Guardian
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