This account of working life at Mark Zuckerberg’s tech giant organisation describes a ‘diabolical cult’ able to swing elections and profit at the expense of the world’s vulnerableShortly after her waters broke, Sarah Wynn-Williams was lying in hospital with her feet in stirrups, typing a work memo on her laptop between contractions. Facebook’s director of global public policy needed to send talking points from her recent trip to oversee the tech giant’s bid to launch operations in Myanmar to her boss Sheryl Sandberg. Then she would give birth to her first child.Wynn-Williams’s husband, a journalist called Tom, was livid but, as men tend to be in labour rooms, impotent. The doctor gently closed her laptop. “Please let me push send,” whimpered Sarah. “You should be pushing,” retorted the doctor with improbable timing. “But not ‘send’.” Continue reading...
Sarah Wynn-Williams' memoir, "Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work," details her seven years at Facebook, from 2011, where she witnessed its transformation into a global power. The book describes Facebook as a "diabolical cult" run by emotionally stunted and amoral individuals who prioritize profit over ethics, enabling sexual harassment, facilitating hate speech and contributing to the exploitation of vulnerable populations, exemplified by the Myanmar genocide. Wynn-Williams recounts her initial enthusiasm for Facebook's mission, particularly Zuckerberg's internet.org initiative, but later realizes its exploitative nature. She details her experiences with Facebook's culture, influenced by Sandberg's "Lean In," ultimately viewing it as a system of self-exploitation and moral compromise. The title references "The Great Gatsby," drawing a parallel between Facebook's "move fast and break things" philosophy and the destructive carelessness of the wealthy.
