Sarah Wynn-Williams Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Sarah Wynn-Williams is an accomplished New Zealand author, lawyer, and public policy expert.

Sarah is also known for being a former Director of Public Policy at Facebook. Her debut book Careless People was released for reading audiences to consume in 2025, despite objections from Facebook.

She grew up in Christchurch and had the unique experience of being attacked by a shark when she was a teen. Sarah was on vacation at the Golden Bay Holiday Park in Golden Bay in 1993 when the incident occurred, something that few other authors can claim that they went through!

Wynn-Williams attended the University of Canterbury, graduating with her B.A. and also holds a M.L. from Victoria University. She has practiced law and was a policy advisor in the New Zealand government’s diplomatic service from 2002-2007. From 2007-2011 she was a manager of political affairs and government relations for New Zealand’s office at the embassy in Washington, D.C. and has worked for Oxfam International.

She first started working for social media site Facebook in 2011 and would go on to become its global public policy director. Her employment was terminated by the company in 2017 for what was claimed to be ‘poor performance’ as well as ‘toxic behavior’. However, the author has since stated that it is her belief that this action was a retaliatory move due to reporting her boss for sexual harassment.

As a result, she would compile her own thoughts and experiences into a memoir titled Careless People, that revolved around her time working at Facebook. Some of the things alleged in the book included the revelation that Meta had worked with the Chinese Communist Party to spec and build censorship tools that worked with their Great Firewall, and various insights to Mark Zuckerburg’s attitudes to international public policy while she worked there.

Facebook did end up threatening legal action. An arbitrator even was able to block the author from promoting the book. Meta attempted to fine her $50,000 for every breach of a non-disparagement order that they were attempting to enforce, according to British politician Louise Haigh. Facebook has also put forth the argument that the book is out of date and does not reflect current practices. The legal action reportedly resulted in more publicity and greater book sales for Wynn-Williams, an example of the Streisand effect in action.

The author would also testify on Facebook and Meta on April 9, 2025 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was supposed to take part in a 2026 Hay Festival panel, but had to remain silent for the entirety as Meta’s legal order did not allow her to discuss aspects of the book publicly. However, other panel members explained the circumstances that were going on and the author would receive a standing ovation at the event’s conclusion.

She filed suit against Meta in June of 2026, where she argued that the arbitration ruling was improper and lawful and a violation of her First Amendment Rights. The complaint stated that she signed a severance agreement while under financial duress and stated that Meta had done its own invasive surveillance campaign against her.

Sarah is married and her partner is a journalist. She is also the mother of three children.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism is a 2025 book by Sarah Wynn-Williams. This book was very well received when it came out and did so well that it became a number one New York Times Bestseller.

Careless People was named as a New York Times Notable Book and was picked as a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, TIME, NPR, AP, Slate, The Economist, The Globe and Mail, Scientific American, and more.

Jennifer Szalai of The New York Times said that this book is ‘darkly funny and genuinely shocking’. She also says that not only does the author have the chops to ‘unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods’. Find out what she and others are talking about and what this book has to offer by picking up a copy of Careless People, and read on to find a brief summary of what you can expect from this book.

This book follows along with the career of one woman who was at the center of one of the most important and influential companies to ever exist. This book gives the reader a first come and first served spot to the types of choices made through this company that have shaped world events in the recent years along with a close look at the people who made them.

Whether it’s focusing on trips taken on private jets, meetings and encounters with world leaders, accounts of double standards and misogyny taking place behind the scenes, this memoir is very compelling but also absurd at points as it seems to imply that a few people hold the fate of the world in its hands and shows what happens with the global elite.

Her inside story will put you in the room as encounters take place with juntas and go through to the very moment that Zuckerberg found out about Facebook’s role in the Trump election. She also deals with Facebook and how it influences world events while going through the challenges of being a working mother inside of a high pressure workplace like this.

This is a personal account of Facebook and Sarah’s time at the company as well as why things have gone so wrong in the past decade. This honest look at how tech and the people who run it are able to shape our lives, this book shows the truth about Facebook, the people who lead it, how much power they have, and how the more that they have the less responsible they become.

What are the effects on the rest of us? This question and many more are asked by Wynn-Williams inside of her gripping memoir. Check out Careless People to follow along with every word in a timely book that ought not to be missed.