Meta Platforms secured an emergency arbitration ruling on Wednesday to temporarily halt the promotion of ‘Careless People,’ a tell-all book written by former company executive Sarah Wynn-Williams.
The ruling, issued by the American Arbitration Association’s emergency arbitrator Nicholas Gowen, was published by the social media giant.
Wynn-Williams, Meta’s former director of global public policy, paints what The New York Times described as “an ugly, detailed portrait” of the tech company and its top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, and Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan.
According to the ruling, Meta would suffer “immediate and irreparable loss” without emergency relief. While Wynn-Williams did not attend the hearing, her book’s publisher, Macmillan, participated and argued that it was not bound by the arbitration agreement, which was part of Wynn-Williams’ severance package with Meta.
The decision orders Wynn-Williams to cease promoting the book and, where possible, prevent further publication. However, it does not impose any requirements on Macmillan.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone commented on Threads, stating, “This ruling affirms that Sarah Wynn-Williams’ false and defamatory book should never have been published.”
