Sarah Wynn-Williams

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

In 2025, she released Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, a book about her career at Facebook.

The book's most significant revelations were an alleged “lethal carelessness” around ethical choices such as that Meta worked with the Chinese Communist Party to spec and build censorship tools that worked with China's Great Firewall, and insights into Mark Zuckerberg's attitudes around international public policy during her tenure.

Facebook threatened legal action and an arbitrator prohibited Wynn-Williams from promoting the book. Facebook is attempting to enforce a non-disparagement agreement. In September 2025, British politician Louise Haigh stated that Meta is attempting to fine Wynn-Williams $50,000 for every breach of the non-disparagement order. Facebook/Meta has argued that the book is "out of date" and does not reflect current practices.

In their review of the book, The Guardian's Stuart Jeffries said that Wynn-Williams' retelling of her time at Facebook had "cult vibes" and involves strong criticism of internet.org and Facebook's corporate leadership. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, a former head of public policy for Meta in Bangladesh who did not work for the company at the same time as Wynn-Williams, described the book as "a courageous feat, but it glosses over [Wynn-Williams's] own indifference to warnings from policymakers, civil society, and internal teams outside the U.S. about serious harm to communities from Facebook."

Wynn-Williams testified about Facebook/Meta before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 9, 2025.

Wynn-Williams was scheduled to take part in a panel at the 2026 Hay Festival, but she remained silent for the entire event, as Meta had secured a legal order preventing her from publicly discussing aspects of the book. Other members of the panel were able to explain the circumstances, and Wynn-Williams received a standing ovation at the end of the event.

In June 2026, Wynn-Williams filed suit against Meta, arguing that the arbitration ruling that prohibited her from publicizing Careless People was "improper and unlawful" and a violation of her First Amendment rights. The complaint argued Wynn-Williams signed the severance agreement under financial duress, making it unenforceable, and alleged that Meta had conducted an invasive surveillance campaign against her.

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