China's Xi Used Human Wall to Avoid Zuckerberg, Ex-Facebook Exec Says

An effort by Mark Zuckerberg to meet with Xi Jinping was thwarted by a "human wall" of security guards ordered to block access to the Chinese leader, according to an ex-Facebook executive-turned-whistleblower.

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email for comment, while a Meta spokesperson said in a statement that the book a "mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives."

Why It Matters

Zuckerberg, Meta's co-founder and chairman and now the world's second-richest man, has on multiple occasions courted China, where Facebook—like a number of U.S. apps—are blocked by the country's "Great Firewall." Zuckerberg has studied Mandarin, met with China's propaganda chief, and posted photos of himself jogging through Beijing's Tiananmen Square in heavy smog.

Facebook has faced criticism for its willingness to accommodate authoritarian regimes, including developing tools designed for China's censorship apparatus, though the software has apparently not entered use given the company's failure to secure a deal.

What To Know

In her memoir Careless People, released Thursday, Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former director of global public policy for Facebook, said she tried to orchestrate a "spontaneous encounter" between Zuckerberg and Xi during the 2016 APEC summit in Lima, Peru.

Wynn-Williams assisted Zuckerberg in scheduling his speaking slot just before Xi's and also arranged for him to have a dressing room next to the Chinese leader's.

The coveted meeting never took place, however, and Zuckerberg was blocked from Xi's sight by a seemingly endless stream of guards, Wynn-Williams said, dubbing the security detail a "human Chinese wall."

"It's a phalanx of men, in identical gray uniforms, marching in formation past us. Mark stares in disbelief, mouth open. They just keep coming, dozens and dozens of them," Business Insider wrote, quoting from her book. "It's almost comical. Just when you think there could not be any more, more step in."

"Uh, I guess that pull-aside isn't going to happen," Zuckerberg told employees, according to Wynn-Williams.

In an exclusive interview with NBC, Wynn-Williams criticized her former employer's willingness to provide China with an "anti-freedom of expression version of Facebook" and of fostering a toxic work culture.

Wynn-Williams, who was fired in 2017, attributed her dismissal to retaliation after she reported alleged sexual harassment by then-boss and current Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan.

Meta has dismissed the allegation, saying Kaplan was cleared in an investigation and that Wynn-Williams had been fired for poor performance, according to NBC.

What People Are Saying

Facebook parent company Meta, in a statement on Monday: "This book is a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives. 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. Whistleblower status protects communications to the government, not disgruntled activists trying to sell books."

What Happens Next

A spokesperson for Meta told Euractiv that the company is "taking immediate legal action" against Careless People publisher Macmillan books, citing the "false and defamatory nature of the allegations."

Update 3/11/25 4:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Meta.