⚔️ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆

⚔️ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸, 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆

📖 In February 2025, I read the book 'Careless People' by Sarah Wynn-Williams—an insider’s account of her time at Facebook (now Meta).

What struck me most wasn’t just the misconduct or moral failures she documented—but how deeply misaligned the company’s internal ideology was with its public narrative.

🪞 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲:

A mission-driven, socially conscious, innovation powerhouse.

🧱 𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲:

A system ruled by entrenched oligarchs, protected by monarchic control, and propelled by a technocratic machine optimized for engagement—not ethics.

📉 It was a company that preached openness and connection, yet according to the author, punished dissent and blurred lines between governance and power.

🗂️ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿—but it was corrupted by internal ideology, moral apathy, and unchecked authority.

🔍 This ties directly to my recent reflections on corporate strategy:

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

When the internal belief system (culture, power structure, incentives) isn’t aligned with the strategy or values espoused externally, the result is:

⚠️ Misguided execution

⚠️ Ethical drift

⚠️ Erosion of trust—internally and externally

🏛️ Facebook (as portrayed in the book) is a cautionary tale— A modern-day technocratic theocracy where:

📊 Metrics replaced judgment

🧠 Technocrats ran unchecked

👑 Charismatic leadership took on near-imperial control

🤔 If you're leading an enterprise today—especially in tech, finance, or private equity—ask yourself:

🧭 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆?

🗣️ Are you incentivizing courage or compliance?

🔍 Are your systems designed for transparency or plausible deniability?

🧠 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

• Ethics, culture, and ideology aren't “soft” issues.

• They are the infrastructure of execution.

• They either reinforce the strategy—or they quietly sabotage it.

  
  

💬 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀:

• How are you balancing ambition with governance?

• What frameworks have helped you institutionalize ethics beyond slogans?