Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
In its early days Facebook was run like a fraternity, with little respect for how it would impact the world. It was all about maintaining engagement. Government relations only came later as a reluctant necessity. The author of this book came from a diplomatic background. She liked Facebook and thought she could make a difference. Things did not go well. Facebook was not ready for her and she was not ready for Facebook. The book is a hatchet job on Facebook, with attacks especially on Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg. Her ire is especially strong on Sandberg. As an executive, Sandberg preaches female empowerment and mixing motherhood with work. However, in practice she wants work to dominate. She mandated international travel late in pregnancy and required her to get a nanny. Zuckerberg is portrayed as a clueless guy who doesn't get the importance of political hobnobbing - until he decides he wants to run for president.
There are legitimate concerns exposed in the book. However, there is also a significant clash of culture and personalities. I'm sure the other side would have plenty of valid counterpoints. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
The book was written by Mike Lewis, not to be confused with the more well known author Michael Lewis. (Though interestingly, Michael Lewis does make an appearance to describe his "Jump".) Mike had a nice venture capital job. However, he had a longing to jump to try his hand as a professional squash player. This book details the steps he made in the jump from something safe to something more fulfilling. His story is interleaved with the stories of many other people that have done similar things and provides advice for those considering the change. In many cases, the jump is from a more common job such as secretary or wall street banker to a passion project (like squash or starting a company.) There are also examples of people that merely pivot to different roles, or decide that something like teaching Yoga is more fulfilling. (One person even went to medical school in her late 40s) The book provides some "steps" to help do it. Some items include talking to others, but not requiring approval. Being willing to fail, but having a "safe landing" is valuable as is preparing (and having sufficient funding.) Jumping can be challenging, but even a failure helps absolve you of endlessly wondering "what if"?
The author is a very successful Silicon Valley businesswoman. One day while they were on a vacation, her husband died suddenly in a hotel gym. This book is the story of how she went through the process with additional content from the co-author. One key part was finding people that have experience something similar. Often friends will be reluctant to provide support in challenging times, thinking that they are interfering. These are times that people often need the most social interaction. However, everyone is different. Some people need to cope by going right back to work. Others need a long time off. Regardless of the immediate approach, there is a need to eventually move on.