Careless People: A Workplace Investigation Case Study

Partial book cover for "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism"

Sarah Wynn Williams was employed by Facebook from 2011-2017 where she became the Director of Global Public Policy, working closely with senior leadership helping the organization build and grow their influence in the global market. The book "Careless People - A cautionary tale of power, greed and lost idealism" provides Williams account of Facebook's global political operations, documenting how the platform was used to influence elections, enable government surveillance, and incite violence across multiple countries. While the book definitely reads more like a memoir than an exposé and lacks the evidentiary proof of comprehensive documentation, it can offer some valuable lessons for workplace investigators about credibility assessments and organizational responses to allegations. 

A tale of two themes

Williams describes two main themes of careless disregard over the course of her career with Facebook:

Primary allegation: Facebook deliberately leveraged its platform to influence international politics, assisted authoritarian governments in surveilling citizens, and failed to prevent the exploitation of its services to incite violence and harm vulnerable groups.

Secondary allegation: Leadership misconduct, where senior executives engaged in interpersonal misbehavior that created a toxic workplace culture, with allegations ranging from harassment to retaliation against employees who raised concerns.

Both areas became subjects of formal investigations—Congressional hearings for the political issues and internal HR investigations for the workplace conduct.

What to believe?

Using standard workplace investigation criteria, Williams' account demonstrates mixed credibility indicators. Some of the factors that support credibility are the self incriminating admissions, where Williams openly describes her own poor decisions and complicity, although I’m not convinced she would agree she had enough agency to acknowledge they were choices. Another factor, the corroborating evidence from multiple news sources over the course of her career with Facebook supported some of her claims about Facebook’s global impact. The level of detail and follow up sharing of text messages with congress earlier this year, also supported some of her claims, and finally the lack of obvious financial motive for writing the book that put her in the crosshairs of the Meta legal goliath all support her credibility.

Some of the factors that detract from William’s credibility would be the personal recollections without the inclusion of the comprehensive documentation. Even during the internal investigation it became clear she did not provide the investigators with the supporting emails or texts that could have helped her case. Williams' claim that she was a terminated employee in response to speaking up gives her motive to be angry with the organization. And finally, she never comments on her own role in participating in the strategies that helped build the global influence Meta has today. Even though she condemns how they use it, the lack of acknowledgement of this could be considered a selective narrative. 

Meta's response to Williams' allegations demonstrates several credibility concerns that would be concerning to an investigator: Rather than addressing specific claims directly, Meta issued generic denials calling the book "misleading and riddled with false allegations." Instead of engaging with the substantive allegations, the company focused efforts on attempting to silence Williams  and preventing her from promoting the book. When forced to respond to specific claims by news outlets, Meta characterized them as "old news" without providing detailed rebuttals.

This response pattern actually undermines Meta's credibility. In workplace investigations, non-responsive or overly defensive reactions can signal that allegations may have merit.

What can we learn as workplace investigators:

1. Self-Incriminating Statements Boost Credibility Williams' willingness to portray herself unfavorably—including admitting to poor judgment and complicity regardless of acknowledging choices —significantly enhances her credibility. Investigators should pay special attention when witnesses make admissions against their own interest.

2. How a respondent engages matters: How an organization responds to allegations provides valuable evidence. Meta's defensive, non-specific denials and attempts to silence criticism suggest an organization more concerned with reputation management than truth-seeking. That said, it is important to be mindful that this alone should not form the basis for a credibility assessment, as there could be other reasons for defensiveness.

3. Corroboration is Key Even with credibility concerns, Williams' account gains strength from external validation through news reports and government investigations. Investigators should always seek independent corroboration of key claims.

4. Retaliation Creates Silence Williams' experience illustrates why many employees remain silent about workplace misconduct. The fear of career consequences is real and significant, particularly for those supporting families.

Why should I read this book?

While "Careless People" may not meet the evidentiary standards of a formal investigation, it provides a valuable case study in credibility assessment. Williams' account demonstrates moderate credibility based on her self-incriminating admissions, external corroboration, and Meta's inadequate response.

For workplace investigators, this case reinforces the importance of systematic credibility analysis, the value of witnesses who admit their own faults, and the need for organizations to respond substantively rather than defensively to serious allegations.

The book serves as both a cautionary tale about corporate misconduct and a practical example of how investigative credibility principles apply in real-world scenarios.

If nothing else, it is an interesting read about the inner workings of the highest level of leadership within an organization that has an incredible amount of power globally. Be prepared to experience a full spectrum of emotions when you read it, although not many of them are good!