Facebook dispute silences Sarah Wynn-Williams at Hay festival
Sarah Wynn-Williams made a silent appearance at Hay festival on Sunday because an arbitration ruling tied to her memoir about facebook and Meta stopped her from speaking. She could not nod or shake her head during the panel. The restriction reached beyond the stage and into how her book is promoted.
Hay Festival on Sunday
Wynn-Williams was due to appear with the investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr and the academic Tim Wu. Cadwalladr introduced the panel by saying, "I think this might be a Hay first, in which we have an author in a hostage situation. Blink once if you can hear us, Sarah, twice if [Mark] Zuckerberg is an asshole."
The limits came from the terms of an arbitration proceeding. They meant neither Wynn-Williams nor her agents could promote Careless People or say anything disparaging about Meta. For readers following the dispute, that means the memoir has become part of a legal fight, not just a publishing one.
Ravi Naik on Monday
Ravi Naik said the ruling that forced Wynn-Williams into silence also applied to him. He said, "Never in my life have I faced a circumstance where my client cannot speak about her truth and I as a lawyer cannot speak on behalf of my client" on Radio’s Today programme on Monday. He also said the interim ruling meant Wynn-Williams risked punitive damages if he promoted the book.
Meta said Careless People contains claims about the company’s behaviour and culture that are false and defamatory. It also said the book included allegations of sexual harassment that the company denied. Meta said Wynn-Williams was fired for poor performance and toxic behaviour, and it had said in writing that her Hay appearance would breach the interim arbitration award.
California award and $50,000 claim
The arbitration award was handed down in California. Josh Hawley claimed last year at a Senate judiciary subcommittee hearing that Wynn-Williams had been threatened with a fine of $50,000 every time she mentioned Facebook in public. The reported that, according to Meta, she faced damages for each violation of the separation agreement she signed when she left the company in 2017.
Louse Haigh said last year that Wynn-Williams was being pushed to financial ruin by Meta’s legal stance. Meta declined to comment directly on Wynn-Williams’s Hay appearance, leaving the legal reach of the award as the main practical issue for anyone trying to see or promote the memoir in public.
