Careless People Character Analysis

Sarah Wynn-Williams

Sarah Wynn-Williams is a former Facebook employee and the author of this memoir, as well as the wife of Tom, the mother of three children (including Sasha and Xanthe), and the sister of… read analysis of Sarah Wynn-Williams

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook and husband of Priscilla Chan. When Wynn-Williams first meets him, he has an almost single-minded focus on the engineers at his company, leaving all the… read analysis of Mark Zuckerberg

Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook, second in power only to Zuckerberg. During the time when Sarah Wynn-Williams works at Facebook, Sandberg becomes famous for publishing a book called Lean In… read analysis of Sheryl Sandberg

Joel Kaplan

Joel Kaplan is Wynn-Williams’s biggest nemesis at the Facebook office, a former member of the George W. Bush administration who once dated Sandberg at Harvard. His behavior toward Wynn-Williams is strange from the beginning… read analysis of Joel Kaplan

Marne Levine

Marne Levine is Facebook’s vice president of global policy and Wynn-Williams’s boss at the Washington, DC, office of Facebook. She is skeptical of Wynn-Williams, even after Wynn-Williams convinces Marne to hire her in a… read analysis of Marne Levine

Elliot Schrage

Elliott is one of Wynn-Williams’s bosses at Facebook. Although at times he seems to be more sympathetic than the arrogant Joel, Elliot ultimately plays a key role in pushing Wynn-Williams out of Facebook… read analysis of Elliot Schrage

Javier “Javi” Olivan

Javi is an influential figure at Facebook who is notable for having very little public profile compared to Zuckerberg or Sandberg. He is a Spanish man, and around the time of Facebook’s Initial Public… read analysis of Javier “Javi” Olivan

Stacey Tomey

Stacey is the HR representative that Wynn-Williams speaks to about Joel’s sexual harassment in the workplace. Stacey becomes one of the key figures in covering up Joel’s behavior and forcing Wynn-Williams out of the… read analysis of Stacey Tomey

Minor Characters

President Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping is the president of China and a figure that Zuckerberg tries hard to connect with, due to China’s central important in Facebook’s future. At a White House state dinner, Zuckerberg tries to get President Xi to name his and Priscilla’s first child, but Xi refuses.

Tom

Tom is Sarah Wynn-Williams’s husband and a journalist. He often disapproves of what she does for Facebook and encourages her to leave but nevertheless remains loyal to her.

Joko Widodo

Joko Widodo is a populist president-elect of Indonesia. When Zuckerberg joins Widodo on a blusukan—an impromptu political visit to see regular people—Zuckerberg seems to enjoy the cheering crowds, which perhaps spurs Zuckerberg’s own failed presidential bid.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner from Myanmar who meets with Zuckerberg and Wynn-Williams. She takes office in the country’s first contested democratic elections, but not long after, the country faces an outbreak of violence, in part stoked by people using Facebook.

Debbie Frost

Debbie is the director of global communications at Facebook. She often speaks her mind and becomes one of Wynn-Williams’s closest allies at the company due to their similar opinions.

Sasha

Sasha is Wynn-Williams and Tom’s first child. Wynn-Williams sends a work email to Zuckerberg right before delivering Sasha, and Wynn-Williams struggles to breastfeed while traveling and must use a breast pump.

Xanthe

Xanthe is Wynn-Williams and Tom’s second child. Wynn-Williams nearly dies in childbirth, and Tom names Xanthe while Wynn-Williams is in a coma.

Priscilla Chan

Priscilla Chan is a doctor and the wife Mark Zuckerberg. She is part of the inspiration for his efforts to learn Mandarin.

Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe is the prime minister of Japan during the time when this book takes place. He is interested in meeting with Sandberg because he thinks that her book Lean In could match with his own “womenomics.”

Vaughan Smith

Vaughan Smith is part of Facebook’s corporate development who spearhead’s Facebook’s attempts to set up an office in China.

Ruthie

Ruthie is Wynn-Williams’s sister, who frightens Wynn-Williams when she calls panicking in the middle of an earthquake in New Zealand.

Meredith

Meredith is Wynn-Williams’s coworker in the Facebook D.C. office who helps Wynn-Williams adjust to the new job by reminding her to bring her laptop to work.

Diego Dzodan

Diego Dzodan is a vice president at Facebook who gets arrested in Brazil. Wynn-Williams finds it bizarre when Zuckerberg describes the story as “heartwarming.”

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel is the chancellor of Germany whose comment to Zuckerberg seemingly causes him to go off-script and promise to bring internet access to refugee camps.

Sadie

Sadie is an assistant to Sheryl Sandberg who receives gifts from her like money to buy lingerie and who is seemingly in a sexual relationship with her.

President Santos

Santos is the president of Colombia, a crucial market for Facebook, and he meets with Zuckerberg.

Dilma Rousseff

Dilma Rousseff is president of Brazil, a country that is important to Facebook, particularly when Zuckerberg is rolling out Internet.org.

Ed Luce

Ed Luce is a mutual friend of Marne and Wynn-Williams who helps Wynn-Williams make the connection that gets her the job at Facebook.

John Key

John Key is the prime minister of New Zealand. He has a surprising connection to Wynn-Williams, through her sister, Ruthie, the journalist.

Andrea

Andrea is Zuckerberg’s assistant who travels with him and helps manage his schedule.

Careless People Characters