Meta won a legal victory this week against Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former employee who recently published a memory of her time in the company “Careless people: a warning tale of power, greed and lost idealism”.
One arbitrator decided that the company has made a valuable argument that Wynn-Williams, who worked on Facebook (now Meta) from 2011 to 2017, may have violated the non-escort agreement she signed when she left the company. The decision states that Wynn-Williams is temporarily forbidden to promote-or “to the extent within (its control), from publishing or further distribution”-its book until the completion of private arbitration.
However, “careless people” remain available for purchase, and can actually benefit from the “Streisand effect”, in which efforts to suppress information serve only to publish it further. Since Sunday afternoon, “Careless People” were the number three book best -selling in Amazon.
Macmillan, who published “Careless People” through his Flation printing books, said in a statement that the arbitrator’s decision “has no influence” for the publisher and that he will continue to support and promote “the book.
The publisher added that he is “terrified by Meta tactics to silence her author through the use of a non -division clause in a detachment agreement”.
“To be clear, the arbitrator’s order makes no reference to claims within careless people,” Macmillan said. “The book went through a full editing and verification process and we remain committed to publishing important books like this.”
“Careless People” offers what a New York Times reviewer described as a “ridiculous and truly shocking darkness” look within Facebook – especially its relationship with China and other governments. (Wynn-Williams roles on Facebook included service as director of global public policy.)
“I was there for seven years, and if I had to summarize it in a sentence, I would say that it began as a hopeful comedy and ended in the dark and regret,” Wynn-Williams wrote in memoirs.
She added, “(m) days, working in politics on Facebook was less like adopting a chapter from Machiavelli and more like seeing a gang of fourteen-year-olds who have been given superpower and an incredible money, as they live around the world to understand what energy she bought and brought them.”
Wynn-Williams also reported to have filed a complaint to Whistleblower to the US Insurance and Exchanges Commission claiming that, in his impatience to operate in China, Facebook created a plan in 2015 to install a “editor-in-chief” who would have been able to censor some content or close the site in China.
In a statement, a Meta spokesman described “careless people” as “a mix of old and previously reported claims on (meta) and false accusations for our leaders,” and described Wynn-Williams is “an employee completed eight years ago for poor performance”.
“We do not operate our services today in China,” continued Meta spokesman. “It’s no secret that we were once interested in doing so as part of Facebook’s effort to connect the world. This was widely reported starting a decade ago. After all we have chosen not to pass with the ideas we would explore, which Mark Zuckerberg announced in 2019.”
“Careless People” recounts unpleasant meetings between Joel Kaplan, now Meta vice president for global public politics, and Wynn-Williams, who claims he based himself against her on a job, described her as “Sultry”, and made “strange comments” for her husband.
Meta said he investigated Wynn-Williams’ claims for harassment and found them “deceitful and unfounded”.
As for whether the company is simply trying to silence a whistle, the spokesman said, “Whistleblower status defends communications to the government, not unhappy activists trying to sell books.”
Current and previous Facebook employees have also criticized Wynn-Williams memories. Former Staf Mike Rognlien said he “sat down near Sarah for 18 months when we both worked in the New York office” and we claimed that the book “There are so many lies in it, I wouldn’t even know where to start”.
Wynn-Williams discussed Meta’s reaction in a Business Insider interview conducted before the arbitration decision, characterizing criticism from the company and former associates as distractions. Asked if the book was actually checked, she said, “I think Meta’s problem is using this not to answer the questions themselves. What I would like is that we do not fall into distraction.”
