Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

By Sarah Wynn-Williams

Book Overview

#1 New York Times Bestseller

A 2025 best book of the year so far by The New York Times, The Economist, and more

"Careless People is darkly funny and genuinely shocking...Not only does Sarah Wynn-Williams] have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods." -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"When one of the world's most powerful media companies tries to snuff out a book -- amid other alarming attacks on free speech in America like this -- it's time to pull out all the stops." -Ron Charles, The Washington Post

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250391237
• ISBN13: 9781250391230
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 2.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Compelling story

I already lost trust in Zuckerberg and Sandberg well before this book, but hearing Sarah's experience and details made me understand how much damage they've done using our data.

Confirms what everybody already knew about Zuckerberg and Facebook

It doesn't plow new ground, but it adds dimension and depth to the story of one of the real disasters of our time: the rise of a social media platform simultaneously profoundly influential and ethically bankrupt. Facebook/Meta, like Twitter/X and other platforms, fires off lies and distortions and smears at light-speed, monetizing rage and fear through algorithms that drive traffic by appealing to the worst in users in order to turn a handful of tech bros into world-shattering billionaires. It's a worthwhile book to read.

Finished it, loved it, deleting my Facebook profile now

Trump is a steaming pile of garbage, but Mark Zuckerberg made him possible in ways I hadn't quite fathomed until I read this excellent book. Zuckerberg is possibly more greedy, reckless and power-mad than all of the tech bros put together. And he hasn't just done irreparable damage to America; he's hurt people all over the world. This book provides the proof for this and, to make matters worse, reveals what kind of place Facebook is for the people who work there. It is truly shocking, a word I don't use often these days. I've read some criticism of this book, chiefly that the author didn't own up to her own responsibility for the ways Facebook went so wrong as a geopolitical force. My sense is that she kept thinking that if she hung in there (and I think she says this, at one point) she might be able to affect change from the inside — win some battles in the war she knew she was losing. Meanwhile, the book is well-written and entertaining. Even funny, at times. But mostly, it made me wish I'd deleted my Facebook profile after the disclosures about the role Facebook had in helping to elect Trump the first time.

Can’t wait to get my hands on it

Glad to be able to support someone speaking out against Caesar.