The author of a book sharply critical of Meta is suing the technology company, claiming it is trying to “silence” her, the Associated Press reports.
Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former director of global public policy for Facebook, published her memoir, Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, in March 2025. The book made headlines over Wynn-Williams’ claims that former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg asked her to share a bed with her on an overseas flight, and that Sandberg asked Wynn-Williams to prepare “talking points” for her while Wynn-Williams was in labor.
Shortly after the book’s release, an arbitrator blocked Wynn-Williams from promoting the book, saying it violated a nondisparagement contract. Last month, Wynn-Williams appeared at the Hay Festival in Wales, and sat silently on stage for an hour, because she was prohibited from discussing her book.
In her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Wynn-Williams’ attorneys write, “Meta’s campaign to silence Ms. Wynn-Williams must now end….The Severance Agreement is unenforceable in its entirety (as are the non-disparagement and arbitration provisions themselves) as a product of duress and as against public policy, including because its provisions represent unfair labor practices under federal law.”
The suit seeks to have the court enjoin the arbitration ruling, and asks for “compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial.”
In a statement, Meta said that Wynn-Williams “is trying to use the legal process to sell books, which an arbitrator already ruled broke the agreement she signed with the company when she accepted a large severance payment years ago. Her book is divorced from reality, disparaging and riddled with false claims.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
