Careless People
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.
Stats for nerds
60recommend
144mentions
116people
2025–2026years
49% recommend47% neutral4% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- If you haven't read "Careless People", you should. Peoples lives, governments, politics have been altered so facebook can grow and build its influence. The least one can do is to say all that.
- Why wouldn’t they? After reading Careless People I’m not surprised anymore when Meta sinks to lows like this.
Why? They’ve done it before. The punishments did not outweigh the advantages. Don’t forget Myanmar, or the United States, or countless other countries where meddling has occurred in relation to public change or elections.
I deleted all Meta products from my phone and am waiting on my account export before removing Meta from my life completely, after nearly 20 years.
They could’ve become something very different. I celebrated Zuckerberg ringing the opening bell thinking, “finally, a geek got his day.” Little did we know.
They chose this.
- After reading Careless People nothing about Meta/Facebook surprises me anymore.
They are absolutely unserious people, wielding one of the most powerful media ever created for one objective only: growth and enrichment. There's nothing else, no principles, no moral guide, not even self-awareness of the evils they have unleashed unto societies.
It also made me feel like an absolute lunatic trying to get people to read the book and reconsider why they need to be on their platforms... Somehow they've won, and if humanity ever falls into a cyberpunk-esque dystopia they'll be a clear mark of the beginning of the descent towards it.
- Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams was a great read, highly recommend
- Even though I've shilled the book before, it's an opportune thread to repeat the recommendation: if you haven't, read Careless People. For much of her career at Facebook, the author worked for Joel Kaplan, who was VP of Global Public Policy and is now Chief Global Affairs Officer. She's not particularly complimentary.
- Honestly, with these kind of shenanigans, and having recently read the Meta tell-all "Careless People", I'm amazed at Meta's ability to still disappoint my expectations, despite them being at a low I didn't think could be beaten.
WhatsApp scares me a little to be honest - I can (and have) easily switch from using Facebook, Instagram etc. But WhatsApp is used for all sorts of groups where I live (family, work, political, etc). It's a really sticky technology, and very hard to move off of without convincing a lot of others. That would be bad enough on its own, but combined with Meta's continuous shady goings on, I genuinely feel uncomfortable with how much power is in such disinterested hands.
