Proton CEO Called Workers 'Losers' Over Slow AI Coding

Proton CEO Andy Yen told employees it was "bullshit and loser thinking" to spend a few days testing new code for security flaws before shipping it, according to Slack messages surfaced in a 404 Media investigation this week. "Of course it's possible to be fast and secure," Yen wrote. "Stop thinking always of how to be slower, and focus more on how to be faster." In another message, he repeated the point: "only losers think like that."

The company behind the encrypted email service ProtonMail has become singularly focused on AI adoption, 404 Media reports. Leadership is pressuring staff to write code with AI and move faster, in service of revenue targets.

What does the report say about Proton's culture?

Yen's conduct has made employees afraid to raise concerns about security vulnerabilities in AI-generated code, according to the investigation. One worker described the internal reality bluntly: "Whatever persona Andy [Yen] has out of Proton, he's a straight up bully inside. He routinely breaks his little facade in Slack and calls people losers and stupid, often for stuff he's paying them for."

That account sits awkwardly beside Yen's public image. To outside observers, including in a Wired interview, the CEO has appeared cautious about AI — what the public might expect from a privacy-first company. The report instead depicts a firm forcing AI on staff and punishing those who resist.

Proton did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fast Company. In a statement to 404 Media, the company did not deny the reporting: "It's clear that some people at Proton are unhappy with our direction, or misunderstand it, and many people are anxious. In our determination to move fast, we have sometimes been too blunt or too slow in explaining ourselves to our people."

The concession is notable for what it lacks: no rejection of the specific messages, and no defense of the security-testing practices Yen mocked.

How far has Proton gone on AI?

The pivot is a reversal. AI use was previously banned at Proton. Now the company tracks the volume of AI-generated code employees produce, using software installed on their computers.

Yen has also set up a dedicated email address for staff to flag anything blocking AI adoption, so leadership can, in his words, "ruthlessly smash everything that stands in the way of AI velocity."

According to 404 Media, Yen has said that after this year Proton will stop hiring engineers altogether. Instead, it will employ "what we used to call product managers, to build things with AI."

Earlier 404 Media reporting revealed Proton planned "re-interviews" with employees about their AI usage, reportedly with the understanding that jobs were on the line. Those interviews were canceled after the investigation — a retreat, not a change of stated direction.

In one Slack exchange about the re-interviews, an employee pushed back directly: "People shouldn't be scared to talk about this in public and to push back on you and leadership. A fear based culture feels like a cancer to me." Yen's reply, later in the same conversation: "this might not be the place for you."

Is the pressure working?

An internal document obtained by 404 Media outlines Yen's next steps. The plan calls for an "elite fast team" working longer hours in exchange for higher pay and generous perks. His wishlist also includes becoming a "996 company" — the schedule of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, a grueling culture popularized in China's tech sector and recently endorsed by some AI startups.

The stated ambition, however, collides with the evidence in the report itself. Employees are anxious, one critic was effectively invited to leave, and the company canceled its re-interview plan only once it became public. The takeaway is plain: Proton's leadership has bet its engineering model on AI velocity, and its workforce has yet to sign on.