Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, has met numerous world leaders over the years, but former executive Sarah Wynn-Williams claims that his meetings didn’t always go as planned.
Wynn-Williams, who worked at Meta from 2011 to 2017, wrote about her experiences in her new book “Careless People”. According to Wynn-Williams, Zuckerberg’s lack of interest in policy and politics was evident during meetings with leaders such as New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, South Korea’s Park Geun-hye, Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos, Guatemala’s president, and China’s Xi Jinping.
In one instance, Wynn-Williams recounts how Zuckerberg showed off his “fake gangsta handshakes” when trying to greet South Korea’s president with a bow. Meanwhile, during a meeting with Colombian President Santos, Zuckerberg appeared flustered and did not read his briefing materials, leading to an abrupt exit by the president.
Wynn-Williams also described how Zuckerberg’s security detail accidentally shoved Guatemala’s president during a summit in Panama, prompting him to look confused about diplomatic protocol. Despite these incidents, Wynn-Williams claims that Zuckerberg is popular among foreign leaders at public events.
A Meta spokesperson has responded to Wynn-Williams’ book by stating she was “fired for poor performance and toxic behavior” in 2017 and calling the book a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims with false accusations against executives.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-awkward-moments-world-leaders-ex-employee-book-2025-3