Book slams Meta, tops bestseller list
A scathing book about Facebook parent company Meta, whose author has been barred from promoting her work, entered at the top of the New York Times bestseller list after its first week of release in the United States. The book also ranks fourth on Amazon's bestseller list, the platform showed on Thursday.
In Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, which was released on March 11, Sarah Wynn-Williams recounts working at the tech titan from 2011 to 2017.
Wynn-Williams's book includes claims of sexual harassment by longtime company executive Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and ally of President Donald Trump who took over as head of Meta's global affairs team this year.
She also wrote of Meta, then known as Facebook, exploring the possibility of breaking into the lucrative Chinese market by appeasing government censors there.
Meta quickly took the matter to arbitration, contending the book violates a non-disparagement contract signed by Wynn-Williams when she worked with the company's global affairs team.
An arbitration court granted Meta's request to bar Wynn-Williams from promoting the book or making derogatory statements about the company.
She also must retract previous critical comments about Meta or its executives, according to the ruling, which remains in place until the dispute is settled in the private arbitration process.
"This ruling affirms that Sarah Wynn-Williams' false and defamatory book should never have been published," Meta communications director Andy Stone said at the time in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Stone said Wynn-Williams was "fired for poor performance and toxic behavior," having made a series of unfounded allegations that the company investigated.
Another book that is highly critical of Meta, The Anxious Generation, which paints a dark picture of social media's effect on children, is currently fourth on the Times best-seller list a year after its release. AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Copper bounces on Trump pause on ME as tariff uncertainty lingers
LONDON: Copper prices rebounded on Friday after US President Donald Trump pushed back a decision on US military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, but gains were capped by uncertainty over tariffs and Chinese demand. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.4% at $9,654 a metric ton by 1400 GMT. Earlier in the session, prices hit the weakest since June 13 at $9,558.50. Most metals moved higher along with stock markets after news emerged that Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war and as Europe tried to coax Tehran back to negotiations. 'We've got the geopolitical uncertainty in the background although maybe a little bit of a reprieve on that side in the sense that Trump wants to allow a bit more time for diplomacy,' said Nitesh Shah, commodity strategist at WisdomTree. 'But we still have all the trade fears, which may have become a secondary feature over the last week. It's not that far down the line before the expiry of the 90-day pause on the Liberation Day tariffs.' The 90-day pause in Trump's broadest 'reciprocal' tariffs will end on July 8. Premiums for nearby LME copper contracts have jumped to their highest since October 2022 because of low inventories and large holdings of cash contracts and warrants, traders said. Copper stocks in LME registered warehouses at 99,200 tons have dropped more than 60% since the middle of February and are at their lowest since August 202. Much of the outflow of LME stocks has been to the United States to take advantage of higher copper prices there in anticipation of US tariffs being imposed. US Comex copper futures dipped 0.3% to $4.84 a lb, bringing the premium of Comex over LME copper to $1,016 a ton. A Shanghai-based metals analyst at a futures firm said in addition to the Middle East and US interest rates, investors were concerned about weaker demand in top metals consumer China. Among other metals, LME aluminium gained 0.7% to $2,540 a ton, zinc rose 0.4% to $2,651.50 and tin climbed 1.5% to $32,490 while nickel shed 0.4% to $14,995 and lead dipped 0.1% to $1,989.50.
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Japanese rubber futures dip on supply woes
SINGAPORE: Japanese rubber futures eased on Friday on softer demand for the tyre-making material in top consumer China, though the contract posted weekly gains as wet weather sparked supply concerns. The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for November delivery ended daytime trade 2.9 yen lower, or 0.97%, at 295.4 yen ($2.03) per kg. The contract gained 1.1% this week. The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery dipped 110 yuan, or 0.79%, to 13,900 yuan ($1,934.72) per metric ton. The most active July butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE fell 105 yuan, or 0.89%, to 11,630 yuan ($1,618.76) per metric ton. 'Rainfall in production areas at home and abroad interfered with tapping and the overall output of raw materials was in short supply,' said Chinese commodities data provider Longzhong Information. Central and southern China were on high alert for more flash floods on Friday as the annual East Asia monsoon gathered pace. Top producer Thailand's meteorological agency warned of rainfall that could cause flash floods and overflows from June 21-26, adding that farmers should prepare for crop damage. Consumption from the tyre industry is poor as demand enters the off-season, weighing on prices, said Chinese financial information site Tonghuashun Information. In currency markets, the yen edged up 0.1% to 145.35 per dollar. A stronger currency makes yen-denominated assets less affordable to overseas buyers. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for July delivery last traded at 161.2 US cents per kg, down 1.6%.
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Govt urged to give special package to SMEs
KARACHI: Convener of the FPCCI Energy Committee, President of Pakistan Business Forum (Karachi Chapter), and Chairman & CEO of Malik Group, Malik Khuda Bakhsh has urged the government to introduce a special package for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). He stated that this policy represents a step toward clean energy, sustainable transport, and industrial growth. He added that the government must create more opportunities for new investment, as foreign investors are willing to invest in Pakistan but currently lack the necessary facilities. He called on the government to provide full support and facilitation for investors. Bakhsh further shared that the installation of EV charging stations has already begun in Karachi and other parts of the country. A contract has been signed with a Chinese company for this purpose, which will ensure improved energy supply for vehicles. He also disclosed that CNG station owners in Sindh— including in Motorway, Nawabshah, Hala, Sukkur, and Hyderabad— as well as in other provinces, have approached them to set up EV charging stations, and several more agreements are expected soon. He expressed satisfaction over the National Electric Vehicle (NEV) Policy 30-2025 issued by the Government of Pakistan. He described the policy, presented by Haroon Akhtar Khan (Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries & Production), as a historic and revolutionary step toward reforms in Pakistan's industrial, environmental, and energy sectors. Bakhsh said that the new Electric Vehicle Policy is fully aligned with Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif's vision, which aims to promote clean, sustainable, and affordable transport. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
