Meet Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s Highest-Ranking Whistleblower

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Mar 11, 2025

Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s highest-ranking whistleblower and former New Zealand diplomat, shares her shocking insider experiences at Meta. She reveals the stark contrast between the company’s idealistic image and its unsettling internal realities. Wynn-Williams discusses her SEC complaint regarding censorship for the Chinese government and highlights the ethical dilemmas of corporate ambitions versus democratic values. With anecdotes that blend comedy and serious reflection, she navigates her role in tech's complex landscape, shedding light on accountability and social media's impact.

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ANECDOTE

Facebook as a Lifeline

Sarah Wynn-Williams, a New Zealand diplomat, viewed Facebook as a lifeline while living abroad.
She saw its potential to connect people and break down barriers, describing it as a historic platform.

ANECDOTE

Christchurch Earthquake

During the Christchurch earthquake, traditional communication methods failed.
Wynn-Williams' sister used Facebook to connect with family and share vital information, demonstrating its power in crises.

ANECDOTE

Persistence Pays Off

Wynn-Williams persevered despite facing numerous rejections from Facebook.
She creatively found ways to showcase her skills and ultimately secured a position, highlighting her determination.

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You may have never heard of Sarah Wynn-Williams, but that’s about to change.

She’s written a memoir about her nearly seven years at Facebook, the company that has since rebranded as Meta. In doing so, she’s become the company’s highest-ranking whistleblower.

Until around 72 hours ago, the book’s existence itself was a secret. Wynn-Williams, a onetime New Zealand diplomat, was effectively the company’s top envoy to governments around the world. She traveled extensively with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg—the company’s two top leaders during her time—and her experiences with them often read like pure comedy, a mix of Succession and The Office.

The book, however, is a lot more than that. It’s a shocking insider’s account of working at one of the world’s most powerful companies at the highest level, and the gap between the idealistic way it sold itself to its employees and the world.

It’s called Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism. And it coincides with the news that Wynn-Williams has filed an SEC complaint against the company, alleging that Zuckerberg agreed to crack down on the account of a high-profile Chinese dissident living in the U.S. in the hopes that it would help convince Beijing to allow Facebook into China.

On today’s Honestly, Bari and Wynn-Williams discuss her bizarre experiences, her thoughts on the future of Facebook, the pushback she’s already received, and why she wrote this book—despite the risk of taking on a corporate behemoth like Meta.

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