A bitter row is continuing between Meta, owners of Facebook, and Macmillan, publishers of the explosive memoir by former Facebook director of global public policy Sarah Wynn-Williams. According to the publisher, her book Careless People “details the lengths to which Meta’s leaders were willing to go to achieve growth at any cost” and is full of “never-before-told bombshell revelations”.
The book includes allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour during her time at the company. A Meta spokesperson called the claims “out-of-date and false”.
A US court found Meta had “provided sufficient grounds that Wynn-Williams had potentially violated her nondisparagement contract with the company” and that Meta would face “immediate and irreparable loss […] in the absence of immediate relief”.
The emergency arbitrator ruled that Wynn-Williams was therefore prevented “from making orally, in writing or otherwise any disparaging, critical or otherwise detrimental comments to any person or entity concerning [Meta]” and “from promoting Careless People on a book tour or otherwise, including with respect to electronic and audio versions of the book”.
But her publisher is sticking by their author. A spokesperson for said: “Careless People is a first-person narrative account of what the author herself, Sarah Wynn-Williams, witnessed during seven years at Meta (formerly Facebook). As publishers, we are committed to upholding freedom of speech and her right to tell her story. Due to a legal process instituted by Meta, the author has been prevented from continuing to participate in the book’s publicity.”
A Meta spokesperson said of Wynn-Williams’ claims: “This book is a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives. Eight years ago, Sarah Wynn-Williams was fired for poor performance and toxic behaviour, and an investigation at the time determined she made misleading and unfounded allegations of harassment. Since then, she has been paid by anti-Facebook activists and this is simply a continuation of that work. Whistleblower status protects communications to the government, not disgruntled activists trying to sell books.”
