Author: Sarah Wynn-Williams
Year published: 2025
Category: Adult nonfiction
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): USA (NY, CA), Myanmar, China, Colombia, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, India
Summary: 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.”
Review: My virtual book group chose this one on the recommendation of one of my dance teachers. I expected that I would read a seething memoir from page one; that the author was going to immediately expose the dark underbelly of Facebook. Kind of.
From the start, Wynn-Williams is positive about Facebook. Before joining them, she sees the potential, the good it can/should do. She is used to working in diplomatic circles and believes she can bring those skills to Facebook as they grow and deal with international governments, regulations, etc. I think she is right and had her heart set on the right path. Unfortunately, she came up against Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the (mostly men) who made up the higher echelons.
As the book progresses, the stories become wilder and more money-focused, and the reader realizes how out of touch Facebook execs are with the realities of dealing with an international company. Snubbing world leaders? Not reading briefings before meetings? Dressing and acting inappropriately? It's a miracle Facebook is so successful.
I also found it super interesting to learn about these interactions with other governments, how Facebook is used and seen in countries outside the US, the regulations they face, the lawsuits, etc. And how little the company cares about people on the ground. Riots, violence, misogyny, racism, and death based on people's use of Facebook? Who cares! Giving users' data to authoritarian governments? Who cares!
Bottom line: make money. As much as possible. Gosh, capitalism sucks sometimes.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Literary Escapes--Myanmar, Colombia, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Peru, India
- Nonfiction (True Crime)--yes, different from most true crime books, but truely, this is criminal
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