Thanks to the magic of the Streisand effect, I just heard about #CarelessPeople - a book by former Meta employee Sarah Wynn-Williams.
Apparently the company is FREAKING OUT and seeking legal ways to stop its promotion. I can see why. This article about it in the Times made my jaw drop: https://web.archive.org/web/20250310221013/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/books/review/careless-people-sarah-wynn-williams.html
I will definitely order it at my local bookshop.
: Edit: included non-paywalled link (thanks @gemlog)
An update: last night I started reading #CarelessPeople and I cannot emphasize enough HOW GOOD it is. A real page-turner.
No wonder #Meta executives are trying to shut down its promotional tour. They come across as shallow, greedy and irresponsible.
The author wrote in the prelude that working there was "like watching a bunch of fourteen-year-olds who’ve been given superpowers and an ungodly amount of money, as they jet around the world to figure out what power has bought and brought them." 
Update no. 2:
Yesterday my 4-year-old woke up at 7am thus thwarting my plans to read #CarelessPeople for a good hour.
So today I woke up at 6am to resume reading the book. It’s THAT GOOD.
The leaders at #Meta have been shockingly irresponsible in their decisions since the early days. All they care about? Gathering data and influence and making big bucks. I’m so glad I got out of all their platforms and I’m on the #Fediverse instead.
History books won’t be kind to Zuck, Sandberg et al.
Excerpt from #CarelessPeople 
:
« When we start to run into politicians who put up roadblocks to our expansion, the growth team is quick to suggest that we “juice” the algorithm to help them bolster their Facebook presence. The way they put that? “Let’s dial up the algorithm to give politicians some love.” »
BTW Javi Olivan, who led the growth team at the time, has been elevated to the role of Meta’s COO (since the departure of Sheryl Sandberg).
You have to love the savage efficiency of the Streisand effect: Sarah Wynn-Williams' Facebook exposé #CarelessPeople skyrocketed to the top of the NYTimes Bestseller List on its debut week. It's the second most purchased book on Amazon (US) as well.
I'm about halfway through the book and I wish I could be in a book club to discuss it. The anecdotes about Facebook's top leaders and their ineptitude / selfishness are so delicious. Fair and fierce attacks, in beautiful prose.
@_elena it looks like history books are not going to get published if the US administration gets it their way
@_elena We can have a public talk about this book.
@sturmsucht hahaha yes indeed ! 
@sturmsucht have you gotten yet to the trip to Indonesia and them playing a board game with Zuck? I’m absolutely 
@_elena not yet!!
@sturmsucht OMG you’re gonna love that part Chris. It’s such a delicious roast
@_elena Just got there. What a kindergarten!
@sturmsucht you should have seen my face when I was reading that part. How embarassing!!!
I mean, I would let my toddler win at things but now that she's getting older I understand it's better for her character building to see she can't win every time...
Zuck lives in a whole other galaxy. No wonder he has so much hubris
@_elena Totally. A bunch of kids with infinite money and he is their king.
And then the other parts where they want to sacrifice an employee for jail to see if Zuck gets arrested in South Korea. Or the board defining motherhood as a you problem you should not talk about. Or willingly betraying identities of their Hong Kong customers to the Chinese government to be able to enter their market ...
@sturmsucht yes yes and yes. I couldn't believe they even considered sending the mom of a 7-month-old infant to a foreign country (where she didn't speak the language) with the possibility of her being arrested and detained.
Don't they say that a sign of sociopathy is complete lack of empathy?
It's abhorrent to see how many influential world leaders (politicians, businessmen) fit the description of "sociopath"
@_elena not so happy is Ireland's role
@sturmsucht haven’t gotten there yet (starting chapter 21) 
@_elena I'm hearing the audio book and just passed the half. now the part starts where rich kids turn true evil.
@sturmsucht aw great! BTW I found them evil since the beginning, so I'm bracing myself for what's to come
@_elena there's always bookwyrm.social
@skribe please don't remind me about an awesome Fediverse project I have yet to join.
I have way too many Fediverse accounts as it is 
@_elena you could easily establish a bookclub on Friendica. You're already there.
@_elena As soon as I caught wind that Meta is trying to squash it, I bought an e copy (saving it for this weekend).
If it causes grief to Zuckerman, its worth the $ to me.
@tezoatlipoca you are going to LOVE IT! It's a page turner from the start, but chapter 16 (about their trip to Indonesia) is next level. I'm so sad I don't have anyone to discuss it with. Just absolutely priceless anecdotes...
@_elena @tezoatlipoca maybe a #CarelessPeopleBookClub tag and a content warning with each chapter?
@_elena The shark attack story is so New Zealand! If it werenʼt for Meta, I wouldnʼt even know about it!
