Former Meta Executive Sues Tech Giant Over Book and Gag Order
Sarah Wein-Williams, a former global public policy director at Facebook (now Meta) from 2011 to 2017, has filed a lawsuit against Meta in a federal court in Northern California. She alleges that Meta is attempting to silence her following the publication of her memoir, "Careless People," which became a bestseller despite the company's efforts to suppress it. The book details what Wein-Williams describes as "cruel and disturbing" behavior by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior executives, including attempts to curry favor with Chinese officials.
The lawsuit challenges a private arbitration order obtained by Meta that prohibits Wein-Williams and her lawyers from criticizing the company or promoting her book. It also contests the validity of a severance agreement she signed upon leaving Meta, which included a non-disparagement clause she claims was signed under duress. Since the book's release, Wein-Williams alleges that Meta has monitored her public appearances, with company representatives attending and filming events to ensure she does not speak about Meta or her book.
One notable incident cited in the lawsuit involved Wein-Williams participating silently in a panel at a UK arts and literature festival earlier this year, refraining from speaking because other panelists were critics of Meta. The lawsuit accuses Meta of pursuing her at the expense of free speech and legal boundaries, aiming to intimidate anyone who might speak truthfully about the company's conduct. Meta reportedly demands $50,000 in damages each time she allegedly breaches the non-disparagement agreement, causing her financial hardship.
Wein-Williams is seeking the court's annulment of the arbitration order and the severance agreement's non-disparagement clause. Meta responded by stating that she is using the lawsuit to promote book sales despite prior arbitration rulings confirming her breach of the severance agreement, and described her book as disconnected from reality and filled with false accusations.
