I just finished reading Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, and I can’t stop thinking about its resonance with the themes I’ve explored in previous posts—especially around toxic and unethical executive leadership and my advocating for people to realize that they have individual agency to fight back against those in positions of power. Sarah Wynn-Williams did that. And wow, did she ever!
ZUCK WANTED the book BANNED
Interestingly, it’s the book that Mark Zuckerberg tried to ban—automatically making it a #1 New York Time Bestseller. And once you read it, you’ll know why. It’s shocking and way worse than even I could imagine leaders to be—and I’ve witnessed some pretty troubling behavior in my time. What’s laid out in Careless People isn’t just disappointing—it’s disturbing, systemic, and a wake-up call for anyone who still believes these tech giants are guided by integrity and any semblance of decency and ethics.
In Careless People, Wynn-Williams offers a rare inside view of how some of the most powerful executives in tech weaponize their influence—often behind closed doors, but sometimes right out in the open. She outlines her time at Facebook (now Meta) in her role as Director of Public Policy. She names names and shares the most intimate details of the daily workings, discussions, and decision-making. Wynn-Williams particularly calls out key executives like Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and Joel Kaplan—for what they did and for what they allowed to happen—in truly despicable, inhumane, and likely illegal ways. I can’t look at these people again without experiencing deep distain.
A TOXIC OPERATOR AND PREDATOR PROTECTED AND PROMOTED
Joel Kaplan, the former VP of Global Public Policy, is portrayed as a politically motivated operator who wielded immense influence to push corporate decisions in directions that served political interests over ethical responsibility. Wynn-Williams shows how his alignment with conservative causes—often at odds with the company’s stated values—shaped internal policy and culture in ways that undermined trust and transparency. According to the book, Facebook staff embedded with Trump’s team, for example, to craft targeted ad strategies, using tools like “Custom Audiences” and “Lookalike Audiences,” which contributed to Trump’s substantial ad spending on Facebook and in turn ascendancy to the White House.
In her memoir, Sarah Wynn-Williams details instances of alleged misconduct by Kaplan. She recounts that Kaplan regularly made inappropriate comments and inappropriate behavior. She recounts that during her maternity leave, following severe childbirth complications that led to a coma and emergency surgery, she received a performance review criticizing her for not being “responsive” enough to work communications—while off work and largely unconscious! What Kaplan did also happens to be illegal but none of this mattered at Facebook because an apparent internal investigation cleared Kaplan of all accusations—and of course they did—a company this devoid of any moral compass. Instead, they promoted him.
“LEAN IN” WAS DISINGENUOUS AND PERFORMATIVE
Sandberg’s portrayal is, perhaps, the most striking. The woman who authored Lean In, a manifesto urging women to assert their voices in male-dominated spaces, is revealed to have actively undermined those who did exactly that within her own organization. Wynn-Williams shares how women—herself included—who raised concerns about unethical behavior, disinformation, and a toxic internal environment were not championed by Sandberg, but instead ignored, dismissed, and quietly discredited. According to Wynn-Williams, Sandberg prioritized internal loyalty and public image over morality and support for those risking their careers to do the right thing.
This glaring contradiction between Sandberg’s public advocacy for female empowerment and her private participation in silencing dissent highlights a deeper issue I’ve explored often in my writing: performative leadership. When values are reduced to marketing slogans, and ethics are only considered when they serve reputation management, the damage isn’t just internal—it ripples outward across the tech industry and society at large. Sandberg, whose personal brand is built on empowering women to speak truth to power, becomes in Wynn-Williams’ account an example of what happens when the pursuit of personal influence outweighs the commitment to integrity.
Wynn-Williams alleges that Sandberg not only failed to support her and other women who raised concerns about inappropriate behavior by male executives—but that Sandberg herself engaged in similar inappropriate behavior with staff and colleagues. Once again, Facebook’s internal investigation cleared her of all allegations. There’s a painfully familiar pattern here, and with each page I read, my respect for the company eroded even further.
GROWTH AND PROFIT AT ANY COST THAT BROKE THE WORLD
At the center of all of this is Mark Zuckerberg himself, portrayed as a leader so wedded to growth and control that ethical guardrails were seen as optional. According to Wynn-Williams, dissent was not simply not an option—it was actively suppressed. A culture of bullying, gaslighting, and quiet retaliation thrived under the public image of innovation and progress.
Wynn-Williams describes Zuckerberg as obsessed with dominance—of markets, narratives, and even in playing board games—with staff always letting him win. He is depicted as creating a workplace where loyalty was measured not by integrity or results, but by silence and obedience. Leadership meetings, she writes, weren’t about open discussion; they were performances, with Zuckerberg making decisions behind closed doors and expecting those around him to obediently fall in line. Staff who raised ethical concerns or dared to question Facebook’s impact on democracy, misinformation, or even public safety were marginalized or pushed out.
What I found the most troubling was the sense that Zuckerberg understood the harm the Facebook could cause or was causing—but he chose not to act. Growth, profit, and control of the narrative were his only priorities. Whether dealing with foreign interference, hate speech, or executive misconduct, he consistently prioritized Facebook’s power and profitability over the well-being of users, employees, or society itself. Of all of the executives described in the book, Zuckerberg stands out as the most despicable and he had some serious competition considering Kaplan and Sandberg.
The CEO often sets the example—and Zuckerberg certainly did at Facebook—driving remarkable growth and financial success for the company, but at the cost of trust, accountability, employee well-being, the integrity of the platform, and, most critically, real harm to the world itself: undermining democracies, fueling misinformation, deepening polarization, and eroding the social fabric across countries and communities.
MORE THAN A DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE’S STORY
It’s easy to discount the book as just the bitter recollections of someone who was fired—but I think that would be a mistake. The level of detail in her account is phenomenal, and what makes it even more compelling is how closely her experiences align with years of reporting, leaks, and whistleblower accounts from inside the company. This isn’t a single voice in isolation—it’s a deeply informed, insider perspective from someone who was there at the top of the company that adds context, depth, and a personal perspective to what we’ve only seen from the outside. It doesn’t read as vengeance, but as a call to understand what actually goes on in companies like this and how they’ve been allowed to exist unchecked for so long.
THE POWER OF INDIVIDUAL AGENCY
What makes Careless People so compelling—and so deeply aligned with the themes I’ve written about—is that it’s not just an account of leadership gone wrong. It’s also a case study in individual agency done right. Sarah Wynn-Williams could have stayed quiet. She could have protected her career, maintained her network, and moved on like so many others have. Instead, she chose to write. To name. To expose. To take on these executives in the most public of ways. That decision, made being fully aware of the personal and professional risks, is the very definition of agency.
Her story reinforces a message I’ve returned to again and again: change comes from courageous individuals choosing principle and doing the right thing over comfort. From people refusing to let toxic behavior go unchallenged. From speaking out, even when the cost is high.
In the world today—where power is often concentrated in the hands of the few, and the stories that reach the public are carefully curated—voices like Wynn-Williams’ matter more than ever. Careless People isn’t just a behind-the-scenes exposé of the deep executive dysfunction in much of the tech sector in particular, it’s a reminder of the power of individual agency in speaking truth to power.
CALL TO ACTION
As I finished Careless People, I found myself thinking not just about what Wynn-Williams endured and so many other women and others do every day, but about what she represents—a growing number of people who are no longer willing to stay silent in the face of power’s misuse. Her story is a reminder that we each have a role to play in shaping the cultures we work and live in.
I invite you to reflect on your own spheres of influence. Where might you speak up? What might you challenge? And how might we collectively build systems where values aren’t just words—but lived practices in our worlds? While it’s always wise to be mindful of any agreements you’ve signed when joining or leaving a company, don’t let caution eclipse your voice. There are often still powerful ways to speak up, advocate for change, and stand in alignment with your values.
And that’s the call to action I hope we all take seriously.