Meta Seeks to Block Further Sales of Ex-Employee’s Scathing Memoir

In a recent legal battle, Meta achieved a significant victory against a former employee who published a controversial memoir. An arbitrator has temporarily banned the author from promoting or distributing copies of the book.

The memoir, titled “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,” alleges instances of sexual harassment and misconduct by senior executives during the author’s time at Meta. The company argued that the book violates a nondisparagement contract signed by the author.

Following an emergency hearing, the arbitrator found sufficient grounds to suggest a breach of contract by the author. The parties will now proceed to private arbitration.

In addition to ceasing promotions and sales of the book, the author is required to refrain from making any further disparaging comments and retract any previous negative remarks within her control.

The legal filing does not restrict the publisher, Flatiron Books, or its parent company, Macmillan, from continuing to publish the memoir.

Meta has strongly refuted the claims made in the book.

According to a Meta spokesperson, the book contains outdated and baseless allegations about the company and its executives. The author was terminated for poor performance, with an investigation revealing misleading and unfounded harassment claims.

Representatives for Flatiron Books and the author did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Meta’s decision to address the arbitration filing publicly marks a significant rebuttal to former employees’ memoirs, several of which have been published in recent years.

Meta executives have publicly challenged the claims made by the author, dismissing many as exaggerated or false.

The outcome of Meta’s efforts to restrict the book’s distribution remains uncertain. In a 2023 ruling, the National Labor Relations Board prohibited companies from enforcing agreements that silence workers from discussing potential disparaging statements about former employers, including issues like sexual harassment.

Meta’s 2022 shareholder report emphasized the company’s commitment to addressing harassment and discrimination issues, stating that employees are not required to stay silent on such matters.

In a progressive move in 2018, Meta announced it would no longer compel employees to handle sexual harassment claims in private arbitration, aligning with Google’s similar decision at the time.

Sheera Frenkel contributed reporting.