Careless People

Stories that the author seems to think are hilarious, like crashing events, getting stuck in military dictatorships, etc. -- well, they just aren't. They're terrifying. The seeming simplicity with which she was able to drag Facebook into the global stage.

All while taking ZERO blame.

This would be better named "Diary of a Collaborator"

Sarah Wynn-Williams thinks she's the heroine in the story, but she's not. She's part of the reason we're where we are now with social media, and she doesn't see it.

The book feels a bit like a therapeutic writeup to process trauma. While it is a smooth read, I missed real content. It basically shows what incredible clueless a*hole the leadership team of Meta are.

Other reviews correctly point out the complicitness like the ones from * @pivic@bookwyrm.social bookwyrm.social/user/pivic/review/6984051/s/a-self-protecting-ride-through-autocracy-kleptocracy-and-capitalism * @benwerd@bookwyrm.social bookwyrm.social/user/benwerd/review/7024817/s/these-are-the-people-to-avoid

or also

• @matthewmincher@bookwyrm.social bookwyrm.social/user/matthewmincher/review/7080218/s/dont-open-corporate-america-inside

Delete all your meta apps and burn your copies of Lean In (as much as I hate the idea of burning books... so recycle it maybe). That woman was a tad naive but these people went from careless to willingly evil. Even if you are well informed on this topic, you will learn stuff from this book. Oh, and who will make the documentary "in bed with Sheryl Sandberg"? Geezus.

I'm not sure what to think of this overall. I definitely enjoyed it though I'm not sure how much of that was for dirty laundry/drama.

The author spends a decent amount of time justifying complicity but I'm not sure that's surprising or avoidable - I imagine the cognitive dissonance slowly builds over time.

You have to take this as a pinch of salt as something written by (as she says herself) a disgruntled ex-employee. Much of this book rings true. I don't think it's really stuff that's unique to Facebook or the people who work there, but almost guaranteed when growth or some greater good is incentivised over everything else.

Some of the personnel / HR incidents were very uncomfortable. I'm not sure how you could treat people so disposably. It was interesting to see the authors point of view as a woman trying to have a child while working a job like this.

It reminded me a bit of the book about Blizzard recently, where the people at the top are so smart yet so incredibly isolated and out of touch.

While it may seem obvious to anyone who thinks for a moment on targeted advertising, but the idea that not only are your interests and personality being targeted, but your mood that very minute. Targeting people who delete selfies with beauty ads? Wow.

Do we actually want the world to be more open and connected? It seems like the world isn't winning.

A complicated book: the author is complicit in the activities she describes, which no amount of ironic detachment or claims of trying to change the system from the inside can hide.

But it’s engagingly-written, frequently hilarious, and jaw-dropping on almost every page. She’s done us a service by painting this insider’s picture of Facebook / Meta. It’s one that I hope every politician who hopes to touch tech policy will read.

I also hope everyone in the tech industry reads it. Not only because it’s a cautionary tale in itself, but because the personalities described here are rife in the industry. I’ve never spoken to Mark or Sheryl or Joel or most of the rest of them, but I’ve met people like them, with those same sensibilities, and they are every bit as shallow and driven by power as is laid out here. These are the people to avoid. These are the people who will lead us into hell. These are the people who, in very real ways, through genocides, swung elections, and the violence of indifference to real human suffering, already are.

Five stars; great book, would read again.