Over three billion people on earth are on Facebook, but only a select few know what happens behind the company’s star-studded curtain. Sarah Wynn-Williams, author of “Careless People” and former director of public policy for Facebook, is one of them.
Published in April of 2025, her memoir’s full title was “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,” an apt description of those among Facebook’s elite. Wynn-Williams details how she went from working with the United Nations to flying in private jets with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg.
When it comes to reading this book, it’s easy to forget that these people are real—and in most cases, very relevant. But this isn’t because of Wynn-Williams’ writing, it’s because of their own nonsensical behavior. They act like caricatures, jumping from one delusional train of thought to the next, always searching for a new million-dollar project.
The truth in Wynn-Williams’ book was by far the most compelling aspect; however it was not the only strong point of her story. Weaved in between each disgusting tale of greed are her personal accounts of the struggles of navigating motherhood and misogyny in the world and workplace alike. Her writing makes it feel as though she’s finally unpacking this turbulent part of her life and is growing from it in response.
She also refused to shy away from exposing the big names involved in these shocking events. Mark Zuckerberg was the most obvious, but there was also a long list of world leaders and politicians from all over the globe included in these stories. Not only was this decision enlightening for the audience, but it was also incredibly honorable, considering the risks of naming so many powerful individuals.
Wynn-Williams may not write with the graceful prose of a literary master, but instead of hindering her, this fact only made her story feel that much more personal. She doesn’t write like someone who’s had all of these experiences and lived in close proximity to the one percent; she articulates her argument against greed and corruption with a strong moral compass and the knowledge of what life is like for the other 99%. Her writing was clear and easy to understand, making it that much more accessible to those she hoped to reach.
Overall, “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism” offered new insight into the world of the wealthy, and a greater understanding of power structures all over the globe. The writing wasn’t the most exciting, but what it had to say certainly was, and for that, it rates a three out of five stars. Undoubtedly, it’s a good read for anyone interested in foreign policy and the power dynamics between countries and corporations or what happens behind the screen whenever someone opens Facebook.
