Ex-Meta executive sues over attempt to silence her ‘Careless People’ memoir
FILE-Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams testifies before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Ima
A former Meta executive has sued the tech company for trying to "silence" her over her memoir "Careless People," where she shares her experiences while at the organization.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, in the lawsuit, alleges Meta’s private arbitration order banning her from speaking about the company or promoting her bestselling book is invalid.
RELATED: Meta plans to slash roughly 8,000 jobs next month: report
The lawsuit, obtained by The Associated Press, also argues that the severance agreement Wynn-Williams signed when she left Meta, in which she agreed not to denigrate the tech giant, was done under duress.
Meta also allegedly obtained an emergency gag order that banned Wynn-Williams and her attorneys from belittling the organization or promoting her book.
Citing the lawsuit, the AP reported that over a year after the book was published, Meta allegedly surveilled Wynn-Williams, with company representatives showing up at her public appearance and taking pictures of her to document it.
Who is Sarah Wynn-Williams?
The backstory:
Sarah Wynn-Williams worked as director of global public policy at Facebook, now operating under parent company Meta Platforms Inc., from 2011 until she was fired in 2017.
"Careless People" alleges cruel and disturbing behavior by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives. The book also describes Zuckerberg’s alleged attempts to ingratiate himself with Chinese officials. The Associated Press reported that Meta responded claiming that Wynn-Williams violated her agreement and authored a book filled with errors.
RELATED: Kentucky social media settlement: Meta reportedly paying $27M to settle addiction case
Meta statement on the lawsuit
What they're saying:
In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Meta said that its "former employee is trying to use the legal process to sell books, which an arbitrator already ruled broke the agreement she signed with the company when she accepted a large severance payment years ago. Her book is divorced from reality, disparaging and riddled with false claims."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites information from the lawsuit between Sarah Wynn-Williams and Meta. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.