A recent exposé by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, has drawn attention to the company’s contentious culture and its deep-seated connections with political figures, including former President Donald Trump. In her book, “Careless People,” published on Tuesday, Wynn-Williams reveals her personal experiences during her six years at the company, including Meta’s involvement in significant political events and allegations surrounding workplace practices.
Wynn-Williams, who started at Facebook (now Meta) in 2011 and rose to the position of director of global public policy, claims that the culture within Meta prioritized growth over ethical considerations. She particularly highlights the company’s role during significant political events, including the 2016 presidential campaign for Donald Trump, suggesting that Meta leveraged political advertisements to bolster its financial interests.
The book alleges that Joel Kaplan, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer—who was also linked to the Trump Administration—was instrumental in shaping the company’s policies regarding political advertising. Kaplan allegedly promoted a strategy to rely on politicians who were dependent on Facebook to minimize any regulatory backlash aimed at the platform. This approach led to unsettling implications for political accountability within social media.
In the backdrop of these allegations, Meta has faced scrutiny for its insufficient response to the violence incited through its platform during the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, alongside other serious concerns raised by former employees about the platform’s safety measures and internal culture. Wynn-Williams’s revelations coincide with ongoing calls from Congress for stricter regulations governing social media platforms, particularly regarding user safety and misinformation.
Furthermore, the book outlines incidents of alleged harassment that Wynn-Williams endured during her tenure at Meta, including suggestive comments and unwanted advances from Kaplan—a matter that has raised questions about the treatment of employees within a company so steeped in political discourse.
This new publication arrives at a time when Meta is striving to redefine its public image while addressing critiques about its past failures, as seen in numerous regulatory hearings where CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been forced to account for the company’s practices. As the book indicates, Wynn-Williams’s experiences may serve as a crucial test of Meta’s reforms moving forward and a reflection of the complexities within the relationship between technology companies and political power, specifically under the auspices of Trump’s administration.