I recently read Careless People, written by Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former Director of Public Policy at Facebook (now Meta). The book provides a personal account of her experience working inside one of the most influential technology companies in the world.

For me, the most interesting takeaway was not only the stories about Facebook itself, but the broader lessons about workplace diplomacy and office politics. The book reminded me how important it is to maintain good relationships with colleagues, especially with senior leadership. In environments where ambiguity is high, particularly in customer-facing roles or roles requiring strong soft skills, conflict is almost unavoidable. Navigating those situations requires strategy, diplomacy, and sometimes restraint in how we communicate.

One reflection I had while reading is that roles requiring human judgment and soft skills may be less likely to be replaced by AI, but they are also more exposed to interpersonal conflicts. Because of this, it becomes even more important to document achievements and ensure visibility of one's work, particularly with managers who influence promotions and career progression.

At the same time, I approached the book with some skepticism. Memoirs like this often present only one perspective, and this one has no formal peer review. I came across a thread comment from someone who reportedly worked with the author and was mentioned in the book, claiming that some events were exaggerated or inaccurate. That made me question how much of the narrative should be taken at face value.

There were also moments that felt somewhat hyperbolic. For example, in one scene involving an alleged harassment incident when the author was breast-pumping, the situation was described in a way that felt unrealistic to me. In a real scenario, I imagine many people would react more directly by leaving the situation rather than calmly explaining the misunderstanding.

Overall, the book is interesting as a personal perspective on power dynamics and politics inside big tech, but I would recommend reading it with a critical mind. Nevertheless this book taught me valuable lessons on how I should navigate the workplace.