I switched to Proton for privacy and security reasons and reliability, not for more of the usual "move fast and break things" mentality and a CEO that seems willing to risk my data's security.

I recently signed up for Proton because I believed in its mission: privacy, security, independence, and building technology that puts users first.

And now, shortly after becoming a customer, I'm already questioning whether I made the right decision.

I am deeply disappointed by Andy Yen's views, public statements, and behaviour. Proton has built its reputation on being an alternative to mainstream technology companies, one that users can trust to uphold principles beyond commercial interests. That reputation depends not only on the products Proton develops, but also on the leadership representing the company.

A CEO is the public face of an organization. His words and actions matter. Customers should not have to question whether the leadership of a company they trust with their most sensitive communications reflects the values that attracted them in the first place.

I am calling for the immediate removal of Andy Yen as CEO of Proton.

This is not simply about expressing dissatisfaction with one individual. It is about accountability, corporate governance, and the future direction of Proton.

The board of directors needs to recognize that customer trust is not unconditional. People choose Proton because they believe in what it stands for. That trust can be lost, and subscriptions can be cancelled.

I have only just signed up, and I am already considering leaving. I cannot imagine I am alone.

Proton needs leadership that understands the responsibility that comes with the trust its customers place in it.

The board must act. Andy Yen should step aside, and Proton needs new leadership.

In light of the 404 Media article on the internal situation at Proton and the revelations about Andy Yen’s management.

I plan not to renew my annual Proton Unlimited subscription if the situation doesn’t improve very soon!

Eight years of subscription, promoting the service to friends—and now a lot of disappointments are starting to surface.

Come on.. this is not important.

If he doesn't leave I'll stop using Proton. My subscription is ending in Feb 2027 and I won't renew it.

I am an unlimited subscriber, but I will cancel my account if this this behaviour is tolerated. I will not support workplace bullying in any way or form.

I just moved from gmail within the last 4 months. This is incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I won't be renewing and will seek out other options if Andy stays.

I've been using Proton for almost 10 years, and often promote it to others. Lucky for me, I manage my digital hygiene as a sort-of hobby, so it's no sweat to move to services like Tuta and addy.io if Proton doesn't dump this CEO and CTO and rehab their work culture.

I mean, c'mon, I PAY for EMAIL, and WEB SEARCH (Kagi). I've got principles dammit!

Leaders don't intimidate. Andy goes or we go.

Needs to go asap or my visionary plan does.

Very disappointed. First the going offline for about a day, and now this. Makes you wonder how worthwhile is it to stay with Proton with first a redundancy issue and now this AI slop nonsense...

The privacy and freedom ideas that have been the foundation of Proton and the promise to its customers are no longer aligned with Yen's vision. Many of Proton's customers are privacy-focused individuals who oppose the values Yen is now preaching. Something needs to change. Either Yen steps down as CEO and allows better-minded individuals to focus on Proton's privacy values, or I am leaving.

I'm not against AI tooling, but Proton's CEO is catastrophically wrong on this issue. Proton leadership should see its employees' commitment to security as a unique asset worth guarding against industry trends, not an impediment to "AI velocity". If Proton replaces its talented and security-conscious engineers with vibe-coding product managers, it will lose my business permanently. Your paying customers want a stable and secure product above all else.

Following 404 Media's reporting on the internal situation at Proton, I no longer consider Andy Yen fit to serve as CEO. Someone who dismisses engineers' security concerns as "loser thinking," fosters a culture of fear, and systematically dismantles the processes that keep the product secure is not fit to lead a company whose core promise is privacy and security.
AI can accelerate and support processes – but AI is a tool, not an absolute replacement. Anyone who wants to replace human expertise, review, and critical scrutiny with automation is confusing efficiency with security. Especially in cryptography and encrypted communication, security is decided in the details – and that is precisely where you need people who understand their code and are allowed to ask uncomfortable questions.
From an IT security perspective, I consider this leadership disqualifying – anyone who treats security concerns internally as a brake is undermining the very thing a privacy company sells.
If you sell trust as your product, you cannot afford to destroy trust from within. My opinion: this leader has to go.

My entire family has Proton subscriptions on my recommendation, very happy to move that money elsewhere if you don't reverse course on this.

Visionary subscriber here. This is unacceptable. Andy Yen should resign or be fired. The Proton foundation should protect the company mission even from his own founder

This is extremely unprofessional, and I've completely lost my trust in Proton. How am I supposed to trust vibe-coded slop? "Move fast and break things"? Yeah, right. I'm not willing to gamble with my data just to find out what breaks next. I'll pass on that.

| Andy Yen, the CEO of Proton, had a message for an employee
| in the company’s security Slack channel who urged the company
| to at least take a few days to pentest newly written code before
| pushing it live. “That’s ******** and loser thinking. Of course
| it’s possible to be fast and secure,” Yen wrote in the channel
| at the end of August. “Stop thinking always of how to be slower,
| and focus more on how to be faster.”

So what you're saying is, vibe coding the software and skipping proper testing for security is Proton's modus operandi now? Proton who supposedly puts our privacy and security in the forefront?

I will not be renewing my plan unless Andy Yen is removed from the company.

Get rid of Andy Yen: https://www.404media.co/manifestos-fear-and-loser-thinking-inside-protons-ai-reckoning/

I have been a Proton customer for a full decade, I've enjoyed feeling smug about using Protonmail and not other services for about the same amount of time. Please don't take that away from me.

I have sympathy for the stress of running a company in the precarious moment we inhabit . But I've had enough of the talk of 'losers and winners' from the orange man. Most of us came here for something a bit different - a European company that respects user sovereignty, developed by engineers treated with dignity. Mo' slop mo' faster is not what we want.