Meta Seeks to Block Further Sales of Ex-Employee’s Scathing Memoir

Meta secured a legal victory on Wednesday against a former employee who published a revealing memoir, as an arbitrator issued a temporary order preventing her from promoting or further distributing the book.

Sarah Wynn-Williams recently released Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, which contains explosive allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct by senior executives during her time at the company. Meta pursued arbitration, asserting that the memoir violates a nondisparagement agreement she signed while working in global affairs.

During an emergency hearing on Wednesday, arbitrator Nicholas Gowen determined that Meta had presented sufficient evidence to suggest that Wynn-Williams may have breached her contract, according to a legal filing shared by the company. As a result, the case will now proceed to private arbitration.

As per the filing, Wynn-Williams is barred not only from promoting or selling the book but also from making or amplifying any negative, critical, or damaging remarks about the company. Additionally, she must retract previous disparaging statements “to the extent within her control.”

However, the ruling does not extend to the publisher, Flatiron Books, or its parent company, Macmillan. A Macmillan spokesperson confirmed that publication will continue and that the company remains committed to supporting the book.

“We are outraged by Meta’s attempt to silence our author through a nondisparagement clause in a severance agreement,” said Marlena Bittner, the spokeswoman. “The book underwent a rigorous editorial and vetting process, and we stand by our commitment to publishing significant works like this.”

Meta has firmly denied the claims made in the memoir.

“The book is a blend of outdated reports, previously covered claims, and false allegations against our executives,” Meta spokesman Andy Stone stated. He also noted that Wynn-Williams was dismissed due to poor performance and that an internal investigation at the time concluded her accusations of harassment were misleading and unsubstantiated.

A representative for Wynn-Williams, who was employed at Facebook (now Meta) from 2011 to 2017, declined to comment.

Meta’s decision to make the arbitration filing public marks one of its strongest efforts to counter a former employee’s tell-all account, a pattern seen in multiple such memoirs over the years.

Company executives have also taken to online platforms to dispute Wynn-Williams’s assertions, labeling many as grossly exaggerated or outright false.

Whether Meta’s legal challenge will ultimately succeed in curbing the memoir’s reach remains uncertain. In 2023, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that companies generally cannot enforce severance agreements that restrict employees from making potentially disparaging remarks about former employers, particularly concerning allegations of sexual harassment or assault.

Meta’s own shareholder report in 2022 stated that the company does not require employees to stay silent about harassment or discrimination and that it strictly prohibits retaliation against those who come forward.

Additionally, in 2018, Meta announced that it would no longer mandate private arbitration for sexual harassment claims, aligning with a similar move by Google at the time.