Latest news with #Wynn-Williams'
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
unfriending facebook review of careless people a story of where i used to work by sarah wynn williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams' Careless People is a revelatory exposé of Facebook (now Meta) and its meteoric rise to global dominance, penned by someone who was once in the inner circle. As a former Director of Global Public Policy, Wynn-Williams had a front-row seat to the corporate and political machinations that shaped Facebook into one of the world's most influential tools, and in many ways, its most reckless. Within a few chapters into the book, you will know why Meta has tried to block the book's sale and bar the author from further promoting it. What Wynn-Williams offers is a darkly funny, shocking, and ultimately devastating portrait of a company that has irreversibly transformed how people interact, communicate, and perceive the world—often for the worse. Wynn-Williams' narrative is compelling because it is as much a personal memoir as it is a damning critique of Facebook's leadership, particularly Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. She draws a clear parallel between these figures and the careless characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, quoting the novel's infamous line, 'they smashed up things and creatures, and then retreated back into their money.' It's an apt analogy for Zuckerberg and Sandberg, who, despite holding immense power, seem unaware—or unwilling to acknowledge—the havoc their decisions have caused. Toxic culture The memoir opens with Wynn-Williams' idealistic vision of Facebook when she first joined in 2011. Coming from a background in diplomacy, particularly in human rights and environmental issues, she initially, naively saw the platform as a force for good, capable of social change. However, subsequently she discovers, Facebook's corporate culture is less about social good and more about cultivating a toxic environment fuelled by ambition, indifference, and a thirst for power. As the book progresses, Wynn-Williams' disillusionment deepens. She paints Zuckerberg as a man increasingly desperate for adoration, switching from an engineering focus to a more political one. The image of Zuckerberg at his first meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2012, 'nervous and sweaty', is a stark contrast to the self-assured, power-hungry figure he would later become. His evolving ambitions, including a failed attempt at embedding himself in global political circles and even considering a presidential run, reflect his growing desire for influence and control over the global narrative, often at the expense of ethical decision-making. Critique of Sandberg Wynn-Williams also delivers a piercing critique of Sandberg, who, despite her feminist rhetoric, is depicted as manipulative and indifferent to the struggles of others. Wynn-Williams is unflinching in portraying Sandberg's dual persona—one that appeals to women's empowerment through her Lean In manifesto, but which, in Wynn-Williams' eyes, is a mask for deeply entrenched power dynamics and cruelty. Perhaps the most chilling part of Careless People is Wynn-Williams' account of Facebook's role in global events, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. She reveals how Facebook's platform was exploited for disinformation campaigns, helping to elect Donald Trump and enable the spread of hate speech that incited violence against the Rohingya. Despite being warned about these risks, the company failed to act swiftly, leaving millions vulnerable to the damage Facebook's algorithms allowed to flourish. Wynn-Williams' efforts to raise alarms about the crisis in Myanmar are particularly poignant, as she recounts the slow and inadequate response from the company, highlighting its complete disregard for the consequences of its global reach. Ethical flexibility The book also details Facebook's failed attempts to ingratiate itself with authoritarian regimes, such as its ill-fated plans to enter China. These efforts, code-named 'Aldrin' after the famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin who landed the first manned spacecraft to the moon, were designed to make Facebook compliant with the Chinese Communist Party's demands for censorship and surveillance. In a particularly damning passage, Wynn-Williams describes Zuckerberg's calculated deception when testifying before Congress, denying any complicity in China's suppression of free speech. This kind of ethical flexibility, coupled with a disregard for truth, is a recurring theme throughout the book. Yet, as much as Wynn-Williams exposes the flaws and moral failings of Facebook's leadership, she also forces a reckoning with her own complicity. There are moments in the narrative where Wynn-Williams acknowledges her own role in perpetuating the company's problems, from supporting controversial initiatives like to her failure to fully grasp the impact of the platform's exploitation until it was too late. As a policy leader within Facebook, she was aware of the risks but did little to stop them, instead choosing to follow the company's direction until her own position became untenable. Wynn-Williams' delayed recognition of Facebook's role in global harm and her eventual exit in 2018 speak to a broader issue within the tech industry: a detachment from the consequences of the decisions made in Silicon Valley's ivory towers. By the time Wynn-Williams left Facebook, she had become disillusioned with the company's leadership and their ability to effect meaningful change. Her disillusionment is painfully clear, and her personal reckoning is both heartbreaking and relatable. It underscores the moral compromise many of those who work in powerful tech companies face: the pressure to conform to a corporate culture that prizes profitability over social responsibility. A face to the damage Despite these shortcomings, Careless People is an important and brave book. It offers a rare, candid glimpse into the internal workings of Facebook at the highest levels, and provides readers with a nuanced perspective on the dangers of unchecked corporate power. It may not offer groundbreaking revelations—many of the issues Wynn-Williams discusses have already been covered in the media—but it puts a human face to the damage Facebook has caused and continues to cause. For readers familiar with Facebook's history and the broader tech landscape, Careless People is a sobering reminder of the perils of unchecked corporate power. For those who are new to these issues, it is an essential starting point to understand the way social media platforms can shape not only individual lives but entire nations and global movements. Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work Sarah Wynn-Williams Pan Macmillan India ₹699
The Hill
15-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Grassley presses Zuckerberg over Meta's treatment of whistleblower
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Monday asking him to address alleged attempts to silence a former employee who approached his office with whistleblower allegations against the company. Ex-staffer Sarah Wynn-Williams came forward with reports of the tech corporation's uncanny ties to China, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and practices targeting vulnerable teenagers during her testimony at a Senate hearing last week. Wynn-Williams also alleged that her severance agreement violated the Securities Exchange Commission's (SEC) regulation by restricting her from claiming any monetary reward for reporting illegal conduct. 'According to Ms. Wynn-Williams' disclosures, Meta has sought to silence her by seeking to collect $50,000 per disparaging statement against the company,' Grassley wrote in the letter to Zuckerberg. 'The tactics used by Meta are clearly aimed at silencing Ms. Wynn-Williams, a brave whistleblower who courageously testified in the face of Meta's threats at the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on April 9, 2025. It's crucial that Meta ensures its employees can provide protected disclosures without illegal restrictions and bullying,' he continued. A Meta spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the matter. However, a company spokesperson said its services are banned in China in previous comments despite claims that Meta executives are working to 'win favor' with leaders in Beijing to build an $18 billion business in the country. As a result of Wynn-Williams' claims, Grassley has requested an updated copy of severance, non-disparagement, and other employment agreements, in addition to a list of employee requests to disclose information to federal authorities or Congress since 2015 and a tally of how many SEC investigations Meta or its subsidiaries have been subject to in the past ten years. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has also called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress following allegations that Meta intentionally undermined U.S. national security.
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Former Facebook executive tells Senate committee company undermined US national security with China
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Wynn-Williams served as director of global public policy at Facebook, now Meta, from 2011 until she was fired in 2017. Advertisement 'Throughout those seven years, I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine U.S. national security and betray American values. They did these things in secret to win favor with Beijing and build an $18 billion dollar business in China,' she said in her prepared remarks. Wynn-Williams also said Meta deleted the Facebook account of a prominent Chinese dissident living in the U.S., bowing to pressure from China to do so. In a statement, Meta said Wynn-Williams' testimony 'is divorced from reality and riddled with false claims. While Mark Zuckerberg himself was public about our interest in offering our services in China and details were widely reported beginning over a decade ago, the fact is this: we do not operate our services in China today.' Advertisement The hearing comes just days before Meta's massive antitrust trial is scheduled to begin. The Federal Trade Commission's case against the tech giant could force the company to divest Instagram and WhatsApp.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Read the ex-Meta executive's draft opening statement to Congress accusing the company of aiding China's AI advancements
According to a draft of her opening statement, Sarah Wynn-Williams plans to testify about how Meta cooperated with China. "Sarah Wynn-Williams' testimony is divorced from reality and riddled with false claims," Meta said. Read the full draft testimony obtained by Business Insider below. Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook's former head of global public policy, plans to testify to Congress on Wednesday, detailing allegations that Meta executives helped China advance its AI capabilities and undermine US national security. Wynn-Williams, who worked at Facebook between 2011 and 2017, filed a whistleblower complaint in March with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company, now Meta, said she was fired eight years ago for poor performance. She also published a memoir that month, "Careless People," where she made allegations about Meta's company culture and China operations. A spokesperson previously told Business Insider that the "false and defamatory book should never have been published." At the heels of the book's release, Meta won an emergency arbitration decision that temporarily stopped Wynn-Williams and her publisher from promoting the memoir or making disparaging statements against her former employer. The ruling did not stop the book from becoming a No. 1 bestseller. "This gag order was sought by a company whose CEO claims to be a champion of free speech," Wynn-Williams' draft testimony says. "The American people deserve to know the truth." "Sarah Wynn-Williams' testimony is divorced from reality and riddled with false claims," a Meta spokesperson wrote in an email to BI. "While Mark Zuckerberg himself was public about our interest in offering our services in China and details were widely reported beginning over a decade ago, the fact is this: we do not operate our services in China today." Representatives for Wynn-Williams declined to comment. A draft of Wynn-Williams' opening statement, which Business Insider obtained, includes allegations that Meta established a clandestine relationship with China, providing user data to the Chinese Communist Party and establishing a "physical pipeline" between the US and China. During President Donald Trump's first term, the administration killed a project from Google and Facebook that would have established an 8,000-mile-long broadband cable between the US and Hong Kong. Below is Wynn-Williams' draft opening statement she plans to give before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee: Read the original article on Business Insider
Globe and Mail
15-03-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Why Meta Platforms Stock Is Sinking Today
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) stock is getting hit with substantial sell-offs in Thursday's trading. The company's share price was down 4.3% as of 2:30 p.m. ET. At the same point in the day's trading, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) were down 1.2% and 1.7%, respectively. Meta's stock had been off as much as 5.3% earlier in the day. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Despite some better-than-expected inflation data released in the last two days, investors are selling out of stocks again today in response to trade-war fears. Meta Platforms stock is also seeing a pullback in conjunction with news about its content-moderation policies and a recently published memoir from a former employee. Meta Platforms stock sinks on trade-war concerns Following yesterday's lower-than-anticipated Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report, today's Producer Price Index (PPI) report arrived with annual inflation of 3.2% -- below the consensus forecast's call for inflation of 3.3%. But concerns about the impacts of new tariffs and the potential for continued trade-war escalation are still causing investors to sell out of stocks today. The S&P 500 is now down roughly 6% across 2025's trading, and the Nasdaq Composite is off 10%. Despite today's sell-off, Meta Platforms stock is still up 1% year to date. What else is dragging Meta lower today? In addition to bearish momentum for the broader market, Meta stock is seeing sell-offs in conjunction with two other news stories today. For starters, investors don't seem to be thrilled with the confirmation that Meta will be implementing the same open-source algorithm that X uses for its community-notes feature. Reports have also emerged that Meta has sued to stop former employee Sarah Wynn-Williams from selling her recently published memoir. Wynn-Williams' book, Careless People, includes critical depictions of Meta's company culture and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's efforts to expand his company's operations in the Chinese market. Should you invest $1,000 in Meta Platforms right now? Before you buy stock in Meta Platforms, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Meta Platforms wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $709,381!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of March 10, 2025
