A 'bombshell' memoir detailing the experiences of an ex-Meta employee has become an instant hit on the bestseller charts, but criticism thrown towards Mark Zuckerberg and other key executives has led to legal challenges.
Facebook isn't just one of the biggest social media platforms in the world but it's also simply one of the largest companies full stop, with parent company Meta ranking 7th on CompaniesMarketCap with an overall market cap of $1.524 trillion.
The company was founded and remains led by Mark Zuckerberg, who has remained one of the most powerful individuals in tech and wants to remind you of that through somewhat bizarre fashion choices.
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However, this dominance allegedly comes at a cost to its employees, as one former Meta worker has now released a shocking memoir detailing her tumultuous time at the company.
Written by Sarah Wynn-Williams, who was previously a director of global public policy at Meta, the book details cruel and disturbing behavior enacted by Zuckerberg and other key executives such as Joel Kapla and Sheryl Sandberg, as reported by the New York Post.
On top of this, Wynn-Williams also illustrates Zuckerberg's attempts to win over Chinese government officials in a controversial move for the platform.
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Despite only being announced mere days before it was officially released, 'Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism' has instantly shot up the best seller charts, and currently sits in fourth place on Amazon's best selling books list.
This, as expected, has angered Meta, who have unequivocally denied Wynn-Williams' claims, illustrating that the book "should never have been published," and is a "mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about out executives."
Meta also argues that in releasing 'Careless People', Wynn-Williams has breached the severance agreement that she signed upon leaving the company, prompting emergency arbitrator Nicholas A. Gowen to step in and halt proceedings.
Wynn-Williams is now not allowed to promote her own book - although publisher Flatiron Books can do it in her stead - as Meta had "established a likelihood of success on the merits of its contractual non-disparagement claim," argued Gowen.
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In response, Flatiron has outlined that it "was appalled by Meta's tactics to silence our author through the use of a non-disparagement clause in a severance agreement," adding that "the book went through a thorough editing and vetting process, and we remain committed to publishing important books such as this."
Meta have also pressured media outlets regarding their coverage of 'Careless People', with The Washington Post's Ron Charles outlining that "in my 27 years of reviewing and editing newspaper books sections, no company has ever done this with me," after receiving several messages from representatives of Meta.
This is also far from the first time that Facebook and Meta have faced criticism and pressure from former employees regarding their treatment at the company, as ex-moderators for Facebook have spoken out about the 'traumatizing' content they had to view while on the job,