Former Meta executive Sarah Wynn-Williams, who wrote a hard-hitting exposé on the social media giant’s dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers, is reportedly on the brink of bankruptcy after publishing her book Careless People.
Louise Haigh, the former Labour transport secretary, told Parliament that Meta was seeking to “silence and punish” Wynn-Williams, the company’s former director of global public policy, for speaking out.
Haigh said in the Commons: “Meta has served a gagging order on Sarah and is attempting to fine her $50,000 for every breach of that order. She is on the verge of bankruptcy. I am sure that the whole house and the government will stand with Sarah as we pass this legislation to ensure that whistleblowers and those with the moral courage to speak out are always protected.”
Wynn-Williams, a former diplomat, detailed Meta’s internal culture in Careless People, published earlier this year by Pan Macmillan. The memoir included allegations of sexual harassment, which Meta denies, and claims that the company worked “hand in glove” with Beijing on censorship tools – an accusation the tech firm has also rejected.
Despite Meta securing a legal order preventing her from publicising the book, Careless People has sold more than 150,000 copies and was listed among The Sunday Times’ bestselling hardbacks of 2025. A paperback edition is scheduled for release next year.
Meta has described the memoir as “a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives”. The company insists Wynn-Williams was dismissed for “poor performance and toxic behaviour”.
The company has argued that Wynn-Williams voluntarily signed a non-disparagement agreement when leaving Meta in 2017, which carries fines of $50,000 (£37,000) for breaches. Meta has said that, to date, she has not been forced to make any payments.
Her lawyer confirmed that Wynn-Williams “remains silenced about the very matters Congress is investigating, despite clear and unanimous voices from Congress calling on Meta to end their arbitration proceedings which threaten to bankrupt her”.
Meta has previously dismissed her Senate testimony as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims”.
Wynn-Williams gave evidence to a US Senate judiciary subcommittee earlier this year, where she spoke about Meta’s alleged practices. Since then, she has not spoken publicly. In a statement this month, she said: “I wish I could say more. I urge other tech employees and those who are thinking of whistleblowing to share what they know before more children are harmed.”
Her case has sparked renewed debate over the use of non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements in the tech industry, as campaigners and MPs call for stronger protections for whistleblowers exposing corporate misconduct.
