Book: Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
This book is the opposite of the Rachel Parris book I read before. It makes Rachel look like the person who should be running a company and Sarah (SWW) looks like she is a hapless, careless, comic, but without the jokes. The author is an educated New Zealander who left her job in diplomacy to work with a relative start-up, who, as the blurb tells you, she pitched to FB many times before they took her on.
I admire SWW’s mission to connect the world - FB's supposed launch point, but we all know it was for hook-ups at university.
FB is a place where (senior) people are recruited based on their friendships with Zuckerberg and those who have the same arrogant, selfish and narrow-minded attitude as him. Coincidentally, they are mainly Jewish Harvard grads.
SWW is sent on her own to Myanmar, a country experiencing unrest, to sell them the internet. Perversely, there was no way of communicating with anyone. So, having put your life in clear danger, while pregnant, you would say ‘no’ to Colombia with a 5-month-old at home and a breast pump in your luggage. For these precarious incidents alone, I think most people, especially those with the privilege of an expensive education, family support and other options, would turn and run.
No.
There was the time SWW is getting work requests - and responding - while in the hospital giving birth. This prompted a life-threatening illness, which is seemingly ongoing at the end of this book. However, she is asked not to talk about baby issues with her bosses. And I notice, the family get few mentions in the book. Her husband Tom, rightly states ‘it’s a bad idea” every time she puts FB before all else. But she goes of on a trip anyway. I start to wonder if he’s just as complicit.
100 pages in and I’m losing patience. I’m beginning to think this book is either a fictional comedy or plain satire.
Throughout the book, SWW classifies herself as naive and admits to fooling herself again.
I am staggered at the lack of integrity (insecurity?) of a grown woman, a New Zealander, and a former diplomat to boot. It’s tiring. But not as much as it is for the author.
I am conflicted.
Proof that working at FB drives you crazy
After declaring the whole policy team is based on the East Coast and there’s no need to move to California - you guessed it - she moves to California. Not because she’s been asked to, but because there is perceived pressure to do so. This is shown in an encouraging ‘you’re doing a great job’ email from Mark, which apparently is rare. So that’s good enough reason to give up the life you have built away from Silicon Valley to move closer to someone who puts you in danger and is an absolute pain to work with
SWW hires a Filipino nanny as instructed, rather than choosing her own way of parenting. Nanny moves with them to California, also as instructed
And then, she says yes when her bosses want a scapegoat to see if South Korea, where there are arrest warrants out for the corporation’s bosses, will, in reality, arrest someone from FB; the arrogance.
Why is Zuckerberg's personal team not fetching his clothes and Why is the company policy director doing it? It’s such an obvious power move, I don’t know why people with much more expensive education than I can’t see this.
“I’m not there (at the meeting) because I try to avoid all things China. But you can’t avoid working at FB or, indeed, moving unwittingly to California?
The turning point is 200 pages in when SWW decides she will no longer take part in this BS to convince the world of FBs good intentions. Sadly, there are another 180 pages. [This is the point when I start reading the book any spare half hour I have in the day so I can get to the end of it)
Then SWW goes to India, where FB are orchestrating protests, ie bribing people in support of a project, what is now called Free Basics (it isn't), previously called Internet.Org, but it is not a community organisation
The author seems to be contractually obliged to only mention her former workplace, the United Nations, when she follows it with ‘despite its flaws’
Which grown woman raises their hand (I do, but that’s to raise a chuckle) in a senior management meeting? I tell you who, the same one that goes to danger zones while pregnant, feels compelled to wear a swimsuit at a works do and be petrified about people seeing her scars (just go home!) and goes to other work socials, even after deciding on doing bear minimum while she plans an exit. And is someone going to tell SWW that the American dream is less about running around the world on private jets with tech titans and more about choice, opportunity and freedom?
For a Diplomat, I’m surprised there isn’t any effort to learn some words when visiting a new country. Surely it’s diplomat 101.
Observations about FB
All the loaded ex-Google staff who don't need to earn a living but take jobs at FB, looking for more windfalls. Staff earn more money (shares) based on tenure so someone could be earning more than their boss (Although this has happened to me so maybe not that rare)
People are recruited based on their being friends with one of the leadership team or a Jewish Harvard grad. Ditto leading initiatives, projects
Disappointing to learn so many of these power-crazed tech billionaires are Democrats & have held positions in the Clinton and Obama governments. May explain why FB eventually relented and hired a diplomat. Until they start hiring staunch republicans, who worked the Bush and DT campaigns. One of these is now a senior exec, which explains how DT got into power for a second term
How these same bods restrict their kids’ screen time and access to social media and yet want everyone else's kids on it. As the author points out, they know the dangers but do everything in their power to ensure every other kid in the world is exposed to them
Don't get me started on the length Irish PM Kenny seemingly goes to keep the FB business even when the EU closes the Double Irish tax loophole and FB have to start paying some
The place, for its 1000s of employees, is so disorganised and arrogant, they think it's fine to keep leaders of countries waiting by double booking or getting venues wrong. This happened a few times, but I recall the worst was with Colombia and Mexico - two vital customers they did not get. (I think Ireland was less bothered with their timekeeping)
There is a case of a staff member suddenly falling to the floor in a big open plan office, physically and visibly ill and no one going to her aid
What happened in Myanmar due to FB's actions or lack of action seems to be just the beginning. I know there are many incidents, and this is a dark time in FB's history. Sadly, I’m unclear how they will be held accountable because of SWW’s excellent work in introducing MZ to the world’s leaders, many of whom he has in his back pocket
And there is the expectation that if someone has to do jail time, it won’t be the wealthy elite at the top of the tree, but their loyal soldiers, like SWW, pregnant or not.
I wonder what part of her thinks her bosses give a damn about people? They don't care about each other. It’s all about power, after all, the execs already have more money than most.
The message of the book is clear: the seriousness of the "front row seat" that SWW has provided us is highlighted by the atrocities occurring in Myanmar. Furthermore, the chapter that discusses the harm inflicted on the youngest and most vulnerable individuals deeply impacted me.
Extract:
In April 2017, a confidential document is leaked that reveals Face- book is offering advertisers the opportunity to target thirteen-to- seventeen-year-olds across its platforms, including Instagram, during moments of psychological vulnerability when they feel " worthless, "insecure," "stressed," ""defeated," "anxious," "stupid,"' "useless,"" and ""like a failure." Or to target them when they're worried about their bodies and thinking of losing weight. Basically, when a teen is in a fragile emotional state.
The UK’s Mollie Russell is mentioned in this section. I'd recently come across her story when researching before delivering a social media workshop to the heads of community organisations.
Summary
Darky funny it's not. Darky sad, yes.
Shocking, it is not. Unless the shocking bit is why SWW stayed so long. There is an excuse after excuse for staying in the job; pregnant, it will change, he sent me a thank you (like a lovestruck teenager), pregnant again and illness. This last is serious and most valid.
The word ‘mark’ may be the most printed word in the book. It felt like every chapter had a sentence about ‘still being a true believer in Facebook’s mission to change the world’ even after the admission that it is just a BIG MONEY-MAKING MACHINE.
We were only three chapters in before talk of the infamous, much-parodied/much copied FB perks. I’m thinking I know all of this, bring me something new. Towards the end, I realise this book gathers all the intel. All the court cases and summons, and committee hearings, all the allegations in one place.
However, one of my most oft-repeated sayings is that we are either part of the problem or part of the solution. For sure, the author is the former. Once you have given it your all for a couple of years, you are only aiding one of the largest, most influential organisations in the world to do its worst.
In any case, it's unfathomable for anyone to have read this and still use WhatsApp /FB/IG in the same way.
PS. The Duran Duran track, Careless Memories, did enter my head a lot.