24/7 Space News
INTERNET SPACE
Author of explosive Meta memoir to star at US Senate hearing
Author of explosive Meta memoir to star at US Senate hearing
by AFP Staff Writers
San Francisco (AFP) April 9, 2025

The former Facebook employee behind a scathing book about parent company Meta will testify Wednesday before US senators keen to establish whether the social networking giant ever collaborated with the Chinese government.

Former global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams has alleged the company explored the possibility of breaking into the lucrative Chinese market by appeasing Beijing's government censors.

Meta communications director Andy Stone told AFP the company "ultimately decided not to go through with the ideas we'd explored."

The company's family of apps is currently blocked in China.

Wynn-Williams's testimony at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing will focus on Meta's foreign relations moves and on what its executives have previously told Congress.

Of particular interest at Wednesday's hearing, headed by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, is whether Wynn-Williams contradicts what Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has stated under oath during past congressional hearings.

Wynn-Williams's book, "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism," was released on March 11 and became a hot seller despite Meta winning an arbitration court order barring the author from promoting the work or making derogatory statements about the company.

Her book recounts working at the tech titan from 2011 to 2017 and includes claims of sexual harassment by longtime company executive Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and ally of President Donald Trump who took over as head of Meta's global affairs team this year.

Meta took the matter to arbitration, contending the book violates a non-disparagement contract signed by Wynn-Williams when she worked with the company's global affairs team.

Stone said Wynn-Williams was "fired for poor performance and toxic behavior," having made a series of allegations that the company investigated and found to be unfounded.

"Careless People" ranks second on a New York Times bestseller list of nonfiction books, with another title highly critical of Meta close behind.

"The Anxious Generation," which paints a dark picture of social media's effect on children, is currently fourth on the Times bestseller list, a year after its release.

gc/arp/sla/aha

Meta

THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
INTERNET SPACE
Zuckerberg repeats Trump visits in bid to settle antitrust case
Washington (AFP) April 3, 2025
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has made repeated visits to the White House as he tries to persuade US President Donald Trump to settle a major antitrust case before it goes to trial on April 14, US media reported. The case against Meta was filed in 2020 by the Federal Trade Commission and seeks to prove that the company formerly known as Facebook illegally acquired potential competitors, particularly Instagram and WhatsApp, to eliminate competitive threats. The New York Times reported that Zuckerberg ... read more

INTERNET SPACE
ISS National Lab unveils startup accelerator to drive innovation in orbit

NASA expands flight slots for private astronauts aboard ISS

Safely back on Earth, once-stranded US astronauts ready to fly again

SpaceX to launch private astronauts on first crewed polar orbit

INTERNET SPACE
Spectrum rocket completes short-duration test flight

TUM spin-off rocket completes maiden launch from Western Europe

SpaceX launches private astronauts on first crewed polar orbit

ULA Vulcan earns green light for national security launches

INTERNET SPACE
A step closer to Martian survival as lichens endure harsh red planet conditions

Martian dust may endanger astronaut health during surface missions

ExoMars rover to land on Mars aboard European-built platform

Visiting Mars on the Way to the Outer Solar System

INTERNET SPACE
China highlights major strides in moon research and exploration

Space station advances muscle and semiconductor science

China's Galactic Energy expands Yunyao satellite network with successful launch

Shenzhou XIX astronauts complete third spacewalk outside Tiangong

INTERNET SPACE
Aventura launches first fund with $9.5M SpaceX investment vehicle

MDA Space moves to acquire SatixFy in digital satellite expansion

Amazon to launch first batch of Starlink-rival satellites

SpaceX launches another 28 satellites into orbit from Florida

INTERNET SPACE
Kazakhstan discovers its 'largest' rare earths deposit

Scientists build novel quantum material from two extreme compounds

Metamaterials enable ultra-efficient mechanical energy storage

Biomass satellite prepped for launch fuel load

INTERNET SPACE
Four Small Worlds Discovered Orbiting Nearby Star

Incredible Journey of Pristine Meteorite Reveals Survival Secrets

A new clue to how multicellular life may have evolved

How calcium may have guided early molecular directionality

INTERNET SPACE
NASA's Hubble Telescope May Have Uncovered a Triple System in the Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Clipper Leverages Mars for Critical Gravity Assist

Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds

The PI's Perspective: A New Mission Update for the New Year

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.