How much power is too much power? That was the central question at the heart of a recent Hay Festival panel now making headlines for the silencing of a Big Tech whistleblower.
Sarah Wynn-Williams is the author of Meta expose Careless People and a former Facebook director of Global Public Policy. The panel was due to be a discussion between the Meta whistleblower and two other experts in the world of Big Tech ethics: Tim Wu, Columbia Law Professor of Law, Science and Technology, and the investigative journalist, Carol Cadwallader, the reporter who exposed the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Under legal advice, Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence throughout the Hay Festival event – as speaking out about Meta could have reaped legal repercussions.
View 2 ImagesSarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence
In the book, she exposes the “lethal carelessness” of the Silicon Valley elite, alleging that the company prioritised growth over human rights. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams has been described by readers as a “jaw-dropping” and “darkly funny” insider account of life inside Facebook, offering a rare look at the culture and power struggles behind Silicon Valley’s biggest names.
The investigative book explores how Facebook grew into a global tech giant, unpacking the internal decisions, leadership clashes and scandals that shaped its dominance over social media. It offers an inside look at the realities behind Silicon Valley’s public image, revealing the tensions between rapid growth, influence and responsibility at one of the world’s most powerful companies.
For Careless People, reaction focused heavily on Meta’s legal attempt to restrict promotion of the memoir. According to the BBC, the company sought legal action to limit publicity around the book, meaning the author has been unable to undertake promotional activity at the time of writing.
Despite being under strict legal gag orders that prevented her from even discussing the work, the book dominated the bestseller charts, proving that the public’s appetite for transparency remains insatiable.
Helen Bagnall, Programme Director for Hay Festival, introduced the panel by saying: “As a charity, we exist to support the open and free exchange of ideas, and we will resist any force to the contrary. This is an extraordinary event, and it started with a central question, how much power is too much power?
“We had initially built this session as a conversation between Tim Wu, Columbia Law Professor of Law, Science and Technology, Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Facebook director of Global Public Policy, and the investigative journalist, Carol Cadwallader, the reporter who exposed the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
“But since Wynn-Williams Meta expose Careless People was published in March 2025, she has faced immense legal pressure. Today, on the advice of lawyers, she is unable to speak.
“But she joins us on stage, alongside Tim and Carol, in an important act of solidarity for the silenced.”
Meta vehemently refute any claim that they silenced the author. A spokesperson for the company said “that’s not what’s happening here.
“There is a binding interim arbitration award against Ms Wynn-Williams which she agreed to during her time at Meta and which explicitly prohibits her from promoting her book.
“This is an arbitrator’s order, not Meta deciding to silence anyone. We are entitled to ask that the terms of that order be observed.”
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