Meta Platforms has won an emergency arbitration ruling to temporarily halt the promotion of a tell-all book titled “Careless People” written by its former employee, Sarah Wynn-Williams. The ruling, issued by the American Arbitration Association, states that Wynn-Williams must cease promoting the book, which was released by Macmillan, and must take steps to stop its further publication, though the publisher is not required to take any action.
The book, which offers an unflattering portrayal of Meta and its leadership, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan, was described by the New York Times book review as “an ugly, detailed portrait” of the tech giant. Wynn-Williams, who was Meta’s former director of global public policy, claims in the book that the company’s executives were involved in unethical practices.
The ruling, issued after a hearing where Wynn-Williams did not appear, found that Meta would suffer “immediate and irreparable loss” without the emergency relief. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone commented on Threads, stating that the ruling confirmed that the book, which he characterized as “false and defamatory,” should not have been published.
Macmillan, the publisher of the book, argued that it was not bound by the arbitration agreement, which was part of Wynn-Williams’ severance agreement with Meta. Both Wynn-Williams and Macmillan have not yet responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on the arbitration decision.