Former Facebook director sues Meta over alleged retaliation for whistleblowing

Sarah Wynn-Williams, who served as Facebook's Director of Public Policy and later wrote "Careless People," has filed a lawsuit against Meta. The complaint, submitted in a California court, accuses the tech giant of retaliating against her for disclosing what she describes as illegal workplace conditions and corporate misconduct to federal authorities. According to the suit, Meta is enforcing a broad non-disparagement clause to silence her and conducting surveillance to monitor her speech and associations. The company's actions are allegedly intended to intimidate others who might consider speaking out.

Her book, published in March 2025, made serious allegations about Meta's leadership, including that Joel Kaplan, a key figure in the platform's political shift, was unaware that Taiwan is an island, harassed Wynn-Williams, and overlooked events in Myanmar. Meta attempted to block the book's release through an emergency arbitration, arguing it violated a non-disparagement agreement from her severance package. A company spokesperson called the book false and defamatory. Despite these efforts, the book was published and reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

Interestingly, the controversy did not harm Meta's market performance. Months after the book's release, the company's share price hit a high of $785, and user numbers continued to grow by the end of 2025.