Fix your model and mindset or lose subscribers, my dude. How dare you run a campaign telling people to not log in with google and then turn around and do shady **** like this. WE DON’T WANT AI IN OUR ****. It is not secure, it’s not private, the list could go on about how terrible it is. You really need to do a reality check and learn who your users are and who is supporting your product because you’re about to lose them.

Let me be very explicit here. If the allegations are true and Andy + whoever other AI-mongering ***** don't step down, I will immediately quit using Proton's entire suite of services. I've been an Unlimited user for several years. I was planning on getting a Duo for my wife and I this December when my 1Password subscription expired. I will not be doing that anymore. I'll be waiting to see what happens next with this situation.

We chose proton because they cared about privacy and security. I do not want to use AI slop for my email or VPN. If I did, I would use Google.

No room in Proton or any business for a ******** loser CEO.

I moved my entire family from Google to Proton. They didn't understand why, but they did it. Now I have to explain that it was all for nothing, as Proton is turning into yet another uncaring big tech company. Trust is a big part of why folks choose Proton (any privacy-based tech, really), and now that trust has been shattered.

I don't think Yen understands the core of the user base. And if he does, he doesn't care about them. Security and privacy are the top desired features of the Proton suite. So if he prefers to ditch those in favor of faster development, then just be prepared to lose a huge chunk of your users (and revenue).

I intended to subscribe for 2 years when this article just popped up. I will not subscribe and cancel my current monthly plan if Andy Yen doesn't step aside and if the way of using AI internally doesn't change. I came to Proton for a quality, secure product, not for vibe coded ******** and even less for disrespected employees.

I just signed up a few months ago for both my family and my business. I've accepted things I wouldn't normally when it comes to features because I valued the security proton offered. Unless the CEO steps down I will not be renewing. I cannot in good conscience invest money in an organization that sells on privacy, and throws that out the window at the first taste of AI.

And beyond that, a CEO who treats his word class team like dogs – are you kidding? Get bent Yen. You're just like the other get-rich-quick technocrats who value nothing but their own petulance over human good and should be outed immediately!

The content of the 404 Media article is extremely disappointing. I run a team of security engineers and the attitude displayed by Andy Yen here is antithetical to the process of building security critical software. It's incredibly disappointing to see this sort of behaviour both from a human perspective displayed towards his staff and from a technical perspective adopting an "AI at any cost" mindset.

Andy, if you read this I'm sure your default reaction will be to go and berate your staff or attempt to find the people quoted in the article. I would urge you to pause and consider whether your approach here may in fact not be optimal for attracting and retaining exactly the kind of people who form Proton's customer base. A little introspection is to be respected.

Unless Andy Yen steps aside, I am cancelling my proton subscription and will move to another company. I started supporting proton because I believe in the values it promotes. Abusing employees is not part of those values.

Proton needs to do some soul searching about the company it wants to be. Most of us came to proton because we did not like the way big tech companies act. We have no problem leaving if proton goes down the same path.

Absolutely agree. I pay annually for Proton under the impression that this is a security-first company, the idea that any code here would be slopped out by predictive AI models with no oversight has made me reconsider renewing that subscription.

i unfortunately paid upfront for the year and moved my domain emails to proton a couple months ago.

I will not be renewing.

I started paying for Proton because I care about security and privacy more than I cared about new features. Until now I thought that Proton understood that they were selling trust in their commitment to security. Andy Yen's comments, specifically calling security testing "loser thinking" above and beyond the rest of it, makes it pretty clear to me that I was wrong about that. Unless something changes, I'm going to be buying from someone else in short order.

If this continues I will have to migrate once again to a service that actually values their employees and wants to make a secure product.

I will be canceling my subscription until a reasonable person with values on quality and security is in charge. The whole point of this is to be secure and well made, I'll gladly go back to a free email if I have to.

I am preparing to migrate away from big tech and I had settled on signing up for Proton Unlimited. The migration is happening in a couple of weeks during a week long vacation from work. I work as a software engineer in a workers union. The latest news about the CEO and the despicable treatment of Proton employees is utterly appalling. Threatening employees with re-interviews, what in the world are you thinking? Is this for real? Speed over quality? No test of AI-generated features? That is what you choose? Why are you even embracing AI in the first place? You are good being associated with theft of intellectual property, destruction of the environment, robbing the youth of normal development of critical cognitive abilities and the death of the actual internet?

I can not in good conscience support any of this. If this is not rectified, I'll go somewhere else. I want an e-mail and storage - not polished **** produced by AI while competent engineers are punished for applying their skills. It actually makes me sick.

I was actively considering a Proton Unlimited plan until today, and lets just say I'm glad as heck I haven't purchased one yet.

I wanted to migrate off of gmail due to having AI junk shoved down my throat. I was actively interested in ProtonVPN because I've heard some suspicious stuff about ExpressVPN. Using AI to vibe code a privacy focused product is like, the worst idea ever. And unless serious changes are made at this company, I'm moving to greener pastures.

No company should tolerate behavior like this from their C-Suite. The amount of reputational harm being done here is staggering.

Terrible CEO!

I left Google because they betrayed their original slogan, “Don’t be evil.” It seems Proton is going down the same path... What a shame. I hope Proton quickly boots out its CEO and replaces them with someone whose management methods are more respectful of both its employees and its customers.