Meta has secured an emergency ruling that prohibits former employee and whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting her memoir, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism. This legal action comes amidst growing public interest in her claims against the tech giant.
On Wednesday, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) issued the emergency arbitration ruling, indicating that Meta is likely to succeed in its case against Wynn-Williams for breach of contract. The company contends that she violated a non-disparagement agreement signed during her employment.
“The Emergency Arbitrator finds that, after reviewing the briefs and hearing oral argument, [Meta] has established a likelihood of success on the merits of its contractual non-disparagement claim against Respondent Wynn-Williams, and that immediate and irreparable loss will result in the absence of emergency relief,” stated the arbitrator in the ruling.
Consequently, the ICDR has temporarily barred Wynn-Williams from promoting Careless People or distributing any audio and electronic formats of the book. Additionally, she is prohibited from making any “disparaging, critical, or otherwise detrimental comments” about Meta and must retract previous statements of this nature.
This ruling does not determine the truthfulness of Wynn-Williams’ allegations in Careless People, but suggests that the ICDR believes she may have breached her contract by publicizing them.
Wynn-Williams served as Meta’s director of global public policy, with her memoir detailing her experiences at the company from 2011 to 2017. The book portrays a critical view of the tech giant, including claims of sexual harassment and accusations that the company dismissed internal warnings regarding its influence on democracy and human rights.
Reviews of the memoir have highlighted its depiction of a company led by self-serving individuals, even as it facilitated disinformation campaigns and engaged with authoritarian regimes.
This week, it was also reported that Wynn-Williams filed a whistleblower complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in April, claiming that Facebook (now Meta) misled investors about its intentions to operate in China. The complaint highlights that in 2015, Facebook developed a censorship system that was intended for use by the Chinese government to penetrate the Chinese market.
Wynn-Williams was terminated by Meta in 2017, which she asserts was in retaliation for her sexual harassment claims. Meta maintains that her dismissal was due to “poor performance and toxic behavior,” while admitting it explored opportunities in China but ultimately did not finalize any agreements with the government.
In response to the memoir, Meta characterized Careless People as a collection of outdated and false allegations against its executives.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism has just been published by Macmillan, generating significant attention and debate.
