The Book About Careless People That Thoughtful People Should Read

Willie Nelson once said you should “get to the heart of feelings and keep it to a minimum” for maximum effect. We wish Facebook had taken that advice before building an empire on manipulating our emotions. Sarah Wynn-Williams lifts the veil on tech’s “move fast and break things” mantra in her revealing memoir of life inside Meta’s walls.

David shares his belated Facebook awakening and the initial joy of reconnecting with students and overseas friends—before the platform’s heavy-handed manipulation became impossible to ignore.

Steve conducts a post-mortem on our collective social media naivety, tracing the path from wide-eyed optimism to the sobering reality of platforms that profit most when humanity is divided, angry, and clicking.

Get ready to take notes.

Talking About Marketing podcast episode notes with timecodes

01:15 Person This segment focusses on you, the person, because we believe business is personal.
Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Cautionary Tale of Idealism in Silicon Valley

Sarah Wynn-Williams’ journey from diplomatic service to Facebook’s corridors of power offers a fascinating window into tech’s hollow promises. Her book “Careless People” details how her desire to make a positive difference in the world led her to Facebook—where she discovered idealism is no match for growth at all costs.

As David notes, it’s remarkable that someone so committed to values could survive within the company’s ecosystem for as long as she did. Her tenacious belief that Facebook could become a force for good provides a poignant contrast to the “move fast and break things” mindset embedded in the company’s DNA.

The hosts reflect on how many of us “drank the Kool-Aid” during social media’s early days, creating genuine connections before algorithmic manipulation became the norm. While David found accessibility benefits in Facebook’s ability to reconnect him with students and overseas friends, even these positive experiences came with hidden costs that Wynn-Williams’ book painfully exposes.

13:00 Principles This segment focusses principles you can apply in your business today.
Free Speech Champions Until The Speech Isn’t Free (of Criticism)

In a masterclass of hypocrisy, the tech industry’s self-proclaimed defenders of free expression reveal their true colors when the spotlight turns on them. Steve highlights the book’s uncertain future as Meta attempts to silence Wynn-Williams through legal manoeuvres—ironic for a company whose leadership constantly wraps itself in free speech rhetoric.

The discussion explores Facebook’s calculated approach to political influence, including the shocking revelation of how they embedded staff within Trump’s 2016 campaign while employing sophisticated proicesses for micro-targeting voters. As Wynn-Williams recounts, Zuckerberg’s reaction to learning of his platform’s role in the election outcome wasn’t moral reflection but rather fascination with his own potential political aspirations.

Most disturbing is what the hosts describe as the “absent moral dimension” throughout the company’s decision-making. From offering surveillance capabilities to authoritarian governments to designing systems that profit from societal division, the book exposes how ethical considerations consistently take a backseat to user acquisition and engagement metrics.

23:00 Problems This segment answers questions we've received from clients or listeners.
When “Connecting People” Becomes a Weapon

The most harrowing segment delves into Facebook’s role in the Myanmar genocide, where military operatives weaponised the platform to spread misinformation and incite violence against the Muslim population.

Steve and David confront the ethical dilemma this presents to marketers and users alike. While acknowledging the platform’s continuing utility as a communication tool, they announce their decision to adopt an “organic social media only” policy, refusing to funnel client advertising dollars into Meta’s coffers.

The hosts grapple with the uncomfortable reality that no social media platform is entirely “clean,” leaving businesses and individuals to make difficult ethical calculations. As David notes, “We can’t have a pure version here, but we can certainly not contribute to it being worse.”

30:00 Perspicacity This segment is designed to sharpen our thinking by reflecting on a case study fr