Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Tried to Block the Sale of a Book by His Former Employee, but the Work Became the Best-Seller in the US

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta attempted to legally block the release of a book written by a former employee. The censorship attempt, however, had the opposite effect: it generated controversy, attracted media attention and turned the book into the best-selling title in the United States.

A book that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta tried to block from being sold has become the best-selling book in the United States. The book, written by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former employee of the company, reached the top of the list of the New York Times in the non-fiction category. It also appears among the five best-sellers on Amazon.

Censorship attempt

Even before the launch, scheduled for March 11, Meta filed an urgent request to prevent the sale and promotion of the book. The claim was that Sarah had violated a non-defamation agreement she signed when she left the company.

The judge's decision was in Meta's favor. Sarah was prohibited from promoting or selling the work on her own. However, the publisher clarified that the decision does not apply to it. The book remains on sale as normal.

The company's move had the opposite effect. The censorship attempt attracted immediate attention from the media and the public. Many began to take an interest in the content that the tech giant did not want to be released.

Unexpected release

Unlike what is usual in the publishing market, the book did not have a long publicity campaign. It was announced less than a week before it hit the bookstores. Even so, it had a strong impact.

No copies were sent to the press in advance. Sarah also did not give many interviews.

Despite limited publicity, the interest generated by the conflict with Meta caused the book to soar in sales. For many readers, curiosity overcame any lack of prior information.

Meta Criticism

Meta reacted strongly to the publication. In an official statement, it classified the book as an attack by a disgruntled former employee. He claimed that Sarah was fired for inappropriate behavior and below-par performance.

The company's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, said the book was "full of lies". He said several of the episodes described never happened. Others who worked with Sarah also questioned the veracity of the reports.

Katie Harbath, a former Meta employee who worked at the same time as Sarah, wrote a blog post saying the book contains errors that undermine its main argument. Yet another former employee posted on LinkedIn that she identified with the content.

Portrait of an era

The book covers the years 2011 to 2017, a period marked by major decisions at the company, which at the time was still called Facebook. Many of the episodes mentioned by Sarah had already been reported. The main novelty is the behind-the-scenes description, with details of meetings and internal dialogues.

Even with differences in memory or interpretation, the content is appealing because it shows the dilemmas faced within the company. For many, it is an opportunity to understand how controversial decisions were made during that period.

Those who have read the book point out that it reinforces what was already public knowledge: mistakes were made. The novelty lies in seeing these mistakes through the eyes of those who were in the room when it all happened.

Latest relevant information

Despite criticism and attempts at censorship, Sarah Wynn-Williams' work remains on sale. Public interest increased after Meta's intervention. Now, the book is among the most talked about in the country — precisely because it is trying to silence people.