This kiwi author’s experience of working at Facebook moves from ambitious optimism to nightmarish horror. I guess we know that Facebook (now Meta, but we all still call it Facebook) has difficulty preventing some of the terrible things which are posted across the world, and the data collection and selling, but the extent of it is made clear here. Worse, it is, in fact, usually preventable. Think Myanmar where there were no controls on how Facebook was used. Think the 2016 US elections when most of Trump’s campaign money came from Facebook, Wynn-Williams claims, and disinformation did its work. Apparently, those at the top of the organisation simply don’t care – hence the title. The organisation also has the ‘usual’ issues of overwork, ethical slippage and sexual harassment.

The book is almost like a novel at times and becomes tense and suspenseful. The author has survived a number of medical misadventures – the book begins with the shark attack she survived as a teenager – and these incidents seem analogous with her workplace conditions and challenges. With her diplomatic background it is part of her job to promote Facebook to world leaders by arranging strategic meetings for Zuckerberg and to brief him beforehand. In the end, it seems the rather dumb and very rich boss doesn’t care who is damaged as he strives for power and as the money rolls in. The part where Barack Obama gives him a piece of his mind is very satisfying to read. It is also heartening to learn that the author, post Facebook, goes on to work in more ethical ways to develop policies for AI and other tech developments which we struggle to comprehend and contain.