Careless People: The Facebook Tell-All on Zuckerberg, Sandberg and Cozying Up to Authoritarian Regimes

[Anonymous]

https://slate.com/technology/2025/03/careless-people-sarah-wynn-williams-book-review-facebook-mark-zuckerberg.html

Wynn-Williams’ duration as Facebook’s first real director of global public policy was limited but part of a key moment in the company’s history. This stretches roughly from the peak of public optimism over the platform’s role in fostering democratic movements (the Arab Spring) and the start of the sharp decline in that utopian vision (Donald Trump’s first electoral victory). The author herself serves as the surrogate for that rise and fall, claiming to have realized early on the ways Facebook would forever change global diplomacy, tenaciously pitching her position to a Silicon Valley upstart that didn’t even think about global relations. Then, however, she found herself more and more compromised in her position with a company she still thought could change things for the better, until the sour end. (Meta has publicly stated that Wynn-Williams was “fired for poor performance and toxic behavior” in 2017.)

If I were to guess, the primary reason Meta has been so horrified by the prospect of this book is less for Wynn-Williams’ allegations than for her laying into Zuckerberg and Sandberg as people. She portrays them as a C-suite Tom and Daisy who were granted public images wildly at odds with their actual selves, and struggled with maintaining that grandiose facade over their clear self-obsessions.

Zuckerberg is portrayed as a hybrid of Sam Bankman-Fried and Donald Trump—preferring hoodies and casual wear at all costs, obsessed with crowd sizes, hostile to social norms and matters of etiquette, trusting impulse over plans. A great example of the latter: the infamous “Not Running for President” campaign that, per Wynn-Williams, was definitely kicked off as a resentment-fueled presidential campaign after Barack Obama privately scolded Zuckerberg over Facebook’s misinformation problem. One other: a 2015 keynote speech to the United Nations Private Sector Forum in which Zuckerberg declares that Facebook will be working with the U.N. “to bring the internet to refugee camps”—a plan no one at the company was aware of and that immediately set off a series of panicked emails.

Sandberg, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to understand that Facebook can’t just promote organ-donation drives to all its users across the world, considering various countries’ differing regulations around the practice. (“If my four-year-old was dying and the only thing that would save her was a new kidney, I couldn’t fly to Mexico and get one and put it in my handbag?”) She also “looks bored immediately” after Wynn-Williams informs her of the historic turnout for the 2017 Women’s March, “changing the subject to her weekend plans, meeting up with friends, the possibility of going dancing sometime in the future, redecorating her ski house, something about her apartment in Los Angeles, and some story about her boyfriend Bobby and how he’s trying to buy a private jet or staff for a private jet or something.”

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I’m about 1/3 of the way through and once again, I’m reminded that a lot of people who appear smart and successful really just have confidence.

[Anonymous]

It’s on top of the New York Times bestseller list this week and near top of Amazon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’m about 1/3 of the way through and once again, I’m reminded that a lot of people who appear smart and successful really just have confidence.

Like who?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’m about 1/3 of the way through and once again, I’m reminded that a lot of people who appear smart and successful really just have confidence.

Like who?

I'm not the PP, but I was struck by that too. The author talks about Harvard grad Joel Kaplan constantly asking his team very basic questions about the countries they were working in (like where they were located). But now he's like number 2 at Meta/Facebook--it's not because he was the smartest or most hardworking in the room...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I finished the audio book. About 10 minutes in I stopped to see who the narrator was because I thought she was pretty good and wanted to make note. It was the author.

Book/audiobook is well worth the read. Thoroughly entertaining. And for anyone wondering what can we do as our country implodes - cancel your facebook and instagram accounts, stop shopping at Whole Foods and Amazon, and please do not buy a tesla. Same with Apple. Same with Google. We're so f*cked.

I hear you about no FB.

I have no problem avoiding WF (the only place I have bought spoiled milk before rhe “Best Buy” date is Whole Foods. And I have no interest in a Tesla.

But Amazon has been good to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished the audio book. About 10 minutes in I stopped to see who the narrator was because I thought she was pretty good and wanted to make note. It was the author.

Book/audiobook is well worth the read. Thoroughly entertaining. And for anyone wondering what can we do as our country implodes - cancel your facebook and instagram accounts, stop shopping at Whole Foods and Amazon, and please do not buy a tesla. Same with Apple. Same with Google. We're so f*cked.

I hear you about no FB.

I have no problem avoiding WF (the only place I have bought spoiled milk before rhe “Best Buy” date is Whole Foods. And I have no interest in a Tesla.

But Amazon has been good to me.

I had the same experience with yogurt purchased from Whole Foods. Twice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished the audio book. About 10 minutes in I stopped to see who the narrator was because I thought she was pretty good and wanted to make note. It was the author.

Book/audiobook is well worth the read. Thoroughly entertaining. And for anyone wondering what can we do as our country implodes - cancel your facebook and instagram accounts, stop shopping at Whole Foods and Amazon, and please do not buy a tesla. Same with Apple. Same with Google. We're so f*cked.

I hear you about no FB.

I have no problem avoiding WF (the only place I have bought spoiled milk before rhe “Best Buy” date is Whole Foods. And I have no interest in a Tesla.

But Amazon has been good to me.

I had the same experience with yogurt purchased from Whole Foods. Twice!

I am reading this book and watched the Buy Now! Documentary on Netflix about amazon/online retailers. I am trying to kick the habit of Amazon, but yeah it is the hardest for me to do in part because they are cheaper for some things and I can get exactly what I want.

Knowing that they are currently trying to weasel out of standing behind the quality of the products they sell is helping me refrain from buying though.

I never did Facebook after I saw the 60 minutes years ago and how they have shadow pages on everyone before you even join. Creepy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’m about 1/3 of the way through and once again, I’m reminded that a lot of people who appear smart and successful really just have confidence.

Like who?

I'm not the PP, but I was struck by that too. The author talks about Harvard grad Joel Kaplan constantly asking his team very basic questions about the countries they were working in (like where they were located). But now he's like number 2 at Meta/Facebook--it's not because he was the smartest or most hardworking in the room...

That guy won the Sears Prize at Harvard Law after doing a stint in the Marines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I’m about 1/3 of the way through and once again, I’m reminded that a lot of people who appear smart and successful really just have confidence.

Like who?

I'm not the PP, but I was struck by that too. The author talks about Harvard grad Joel Kaplan constantly asking his team very basic questions about the countries they were working in (like where they were located). But now he's like number 2 at Meta/Facebook--it's not because he was the smartest or most hardworking in the room...

That guy won the Sears Prize at Harvard Law after doing a stint in the Marines.

In fact, I think he won it both years. So, the person with the best GPA at Harvard Law for 2 years isn’t smart or hardworking.

[Anonymous]

I finished this book and really enjoyed it. It made me double down on never joining Facebook again, even to keep up with family who are on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I finished this book and really enjoyed it. It made me double down on never joining Facebook again, even to keep up with family who are on it.

I am not a Facebook person and never have been but I am also aware of tons of misses in this book. I would not base a decision on Facebook usage on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished this book and really enjoyed it. It made me double down on never joining Facebook again, even to keep up with family who are on it.

I am not a Facebook person and never have been but I am also aware of tons of misses in this book. I would not base a decision on Facebook usage on this.

Interesting. I would, so I am curious if you see any connection between the protest events in Myanmar, facebook and if/how Facebook contributes to autocracy and the polarization of politics. I think there is a pretty direct connection, and felt the book laid those out well in the final chapters. Maybe I am missing something, so I would love to know your perspective on what was wrong about the authors thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished this book and really enjoyed it. It made me double down on never joining Facebook again, even to keep up with family who are on it.

I am not a Facebook person and never have been but I am also aware of tons of misses in this book. I would not base a decision on Facebook usage on this.

Interesting. I would, so I am curious if you see any connection between the protest events in Myanmar, facebook and if/how Facebook contributes to autocracy and the polarization of politics. I think there is a pretty direct connection, and felt the book laid those out well in the final chapters. Maybe I am missing something, so I would love to know your perspective on what was wrong about the authors thoughts.

FB/Meta do a lot wrong but this book isn’t factual. Two wrongs don’t make a right perhaps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished this book and really enjoyed it. It made me double down on never joining Facebook again, even to keep up with family who are on it.

I am not a Facebook person and never have been but I am also aware of tons of misses in this book. I would not base a decision on Facebook usage on this.

Interesting. I would, so I am curious if you see any connection between the protest events in Myanmar, facebook and if/how Facebook contributes to autocracy and the polarization of politics. I think there is a pretty direct connection, and felt the book laid those out well in the final chapters. Maybe I am missing something, so I would love to know your perspective on what was wrong about the authors thoughts.

FB/Meta do a lot wrong but this book isn’t factual. Two wrongs don’t make a right perhaps.

Ok- Macmillan is standing behind it and Meta is attacking the author for going against their NDA, not attacking the veracity of the book. That said, I am open to hearing about these issues, but if you can’t point to specifics, then just saying it “isn’t factual” makes your case pretty weak.