Mumbai, March 11: Former Facebook director Sarah Wynn-Williams has made explosive allegations against Meta’s leadership in her newly released book, "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism", which hit shelves on March 11. She claims former COO Sheryl Sandberg invited her young female assistant to bed during a private jet trip and spent USD 13,000 on lingerie for them both. Williams also accuses Meta of fostering a toxic workplace culture under Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership.
Sarah Wynn-Williams is a former Facebook director and ex-New Zealand diplomat who worked at the company for six years before being fired in 2017. She alleges she was dismissed in retaliation for filing a harassment complaint against senior executive Joel Kaplan. In her book, Williams details instances of misogyny, double standards, and inappropriate conduct within Meta’s top leadership. She also claims Mark Zuckerberg considered sharing user data with China, raising serious concerns about privacy and ethics. Meta Fires 20 Employees for Leaking Confidential Information Amid Ongoing Layoffs: Reports.
Williams’ book paints a disturbing picture of Meta’s inner workings, including Sandberg’s alleged inappropriate behavior during a European trip. She describes how Sandberg asked her young assistant to share a bed on a private jet and insisted on purchasing expensive lingerie for both of them. Williams also claims that Facebook’s workplace culture turned toxic under Zuckerberg and Sandberg, allowing misconduct to go unchecked. The book further alleges that top executives manipulated internal investigations to silence whistleblowers. Meta Expanding in India Despite Layoffs, Continues Hiring for Engineer Roles in Country’s Tech Hub: Report.
Meta has strongly denied the allegations, dismissing them as outdated and misleading. A company spokesperson claimed that Williams was fired for “poor performance and toxic behavior” and has since been funded by anti-Facebook activists. Meta also rejected claims of improper ties with China, stating that while the company once explored business opportunities there, it ultimately decided against entering the market. The tech giant maintains that Williams’ book is an attempt to profit from past grievances rather than expose new truths.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 11, 2025 09:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).