Shocking claims in a memoir allege inappropriate behavior by Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, including a private flight incident and a $13,000 lingerie purchase.
An explosive new memoir has made shocking claims about Sheryl Sandberg’s time at Facebook – including the fact that she told one of her subordinates to “come to bed” on a private flight, and once spent $13,000 on lingerie during a trip to Europe.
Sheryl Sandberg, fomer COO of Meta, has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a former subordinate.(REUTERS)
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook employee, made these claims in her book Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, as reported by The New York Post.
$13,000 on lingerie shopping
Sarah Wynn-Williams, who spent seven years working at Facebook, claims that the company’s then-COO Sheryl Sandberg once took a long drive through Europe. During the drive, Sandberg and her then-26-year-old assistant named “Sadie” stroked each other’s hair and took turns sleeping in each other’s laps.
Sandberg also instructed “Sadie” to purchase lingerie for both of them without worrying about the final cost. The total bill for the lingerie reached a staggering $13,000 (more than ₹11 lakh), according to the New York Times.
Wynn-Williams also claimed in her exposé that Sandberg, dressed in pajamas, invited her to join her in “the only bed on the plane” during a private flight. The former Facebook COO grew visibly irritated when Wynn-Williams declined.
Meta’s response
A Meta spokesperson told The New York Post that the author of the book had been fired over poor performance. The memoir itself was trashed by Meta.
“This is a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives,” a Meta spokesperson told The Post.
“Eight years ago, Sarah Wynn-Williams was fired for poor performance and toxic behavior, and an investigation at the time determined she made misleading and unfounded allegations of harassment.”
“Since then, she has been paid by anti-Facebook activists and this is simply a continuation of that work,” the spokesperson said, adding: “Whistleblower status protects communications to the government, not disgruntled activists trying to sell books.”