Careless People

A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism - A memoir

by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Hardcover, 394 pages

Published 2025 by Flatiron Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-39123-0
ASIN:: 1250391237
Goodreads:: 223436601

(3 reviews)

An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.

From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.

Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg’s reaction when he learned of Facebook’s role in Trump’s election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace, all while Sheryl Sandberg urges her and others to “lean in.”

Careless People is a deeply personal account of why and how things have gone so horribly wrong in the past decade—told in a sharp, candid, and utterly disarming voice. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.

5 editions

A reviewed Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Careless People

No rating

There are no big reveals in this book for anyone who is well informed and critical of big tech, but I guess it's good that someone documented details about how hypocritical Sheryl Sandberg is with her white feminism and what an absolutely soulless, self-centered creep Mark Zuckerberg is? Also, more power to anyone publicly exposing their sexual harassers.

On the other hand, this book reminded me of people with those ridiculous "I bought this Tesla before Elon went crazy" bumper stickers. Sarah Wynn-Williams comes across as, at BEST, horribly naive about the most basic facts of capitalism, and she actually seems to see herself as some kind of soft power hero. She admits that when she first started working at Facebook she was stunned by the idea that corporations have no other interest than growth. And her unshakeable, uncritical faith in liberal internationalism is just cringey.

The worst parts to …

The worst parts to me weren't anything about Facebook, but when Wynn-Williams herself offers the exact kind of clueless, self-centered white Euro-American commentary that she criticizes FB execs for. She brings up the Zika virus only to make it all about herself and refers to "traveling to all these weird places" (cool, tell us how you really feel).

Finally, there's no takeaway. There's no critique of big tech other than how awful the people running it are and how they're accountable to no one. Wynn-Williams leaves open the possibility that these companies could somehow be good if only the right people ran them. The book is interesting as a workplace memoir about working close to top management at a FAANG company, but it's very weak as a supposed "cautionary tale."

xinit@bookwyrm.social reviewed Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Mixed feelings

No rating

Stories that the author seems to think are hilarious, like crashing events, getting stuck in military dictatorships, etc. -- well, they just aren't. They're terrifying. The seeming simplicity with which she was able to drag Facebook into the global stage.

All while taking ZERO blame.

This would be better named "Diary of a Collaborator"

Sarah Wynn-Williams thinks she's the heroine in the story, but she's not. She's part of the reason we're where we are now with social media, and she doesn't see it.

Huey

rated it

May 21

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