Proton will re-interview employees about their AI usage, and the results may affect whether they stay or go
Proton told employees on Monday that it will conduct company-wide re-interviews on how employees use AI. Internal emails described these interviews as "having consequences," with evaluation results to be included in organizational and talent reviews that could lead to changes in roles, responsibilities, and employment relationships. The emails show that CEO Andy Yen has already interviewed more than 40 senior leaders in the engineering and product departments first; the re-interviews are scheduled for November 4 to 11, with interviewers drawn from a pool of leaders outside their teams and reporting lines who are deemed to have strong AI capabilities.
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Leaked emails show that Proton is incorporating AI proficiency into employee retention evaluations, offering a window into how companies are embedding AI transformation into HR processes.
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“These re-interviews are consequential,” a leaked email seen by 404 Media reads.
Sipa USA via AP.
Proton, the company behind ProtonMail and other privacy-focused products, told staff on Monday it would be ‘re-interviewing’ staff across the company about how they use AI in their jobs, with the implication that the interviews may decide whether staffers have “continued employment,” according to an internal Proton email obtained by 404 Media.
“These re-interviews are consequential,” a part of the email reads. “Interviewers will document their assessments, which will inform the broader review of our organization and talent. That review may lead to changes in roles, responsibilities, and continued employment. Individual outcomes will be communicated directly once decisions are finalized.”
Proton’s CEO Andy Yen has steadily pushed the company towards more AI use, including launching AI centered products like Lumo, a privacy-focused chatbot. The leaked email says Yen “interviewed more than 40 senior leaders across Engineering and Product to begin this process.” Now, those interviews are extending across the company.💡Do you work at Proton? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.
“We need people who can translate AI’s capabilities into better products, stronger execution, and new ways of working — and who approach this change with curiosity, judgment, and urgency,” the email reads.
The email says that not everyone in the company will be re-interviewed, and “any decisions affecting your employment will be communicated separately.” The interviewer will be outside the staff member’s team and reporting line; instead, people may be interviewed by someone from “a pool of leaders who demonstrate strong AI capability and have aligned on the assessment criteria.”
“We recognize that this process creates uncertainty. We will be clear about what has been decided and what remains open, and communicate individual outcomes as soon as we can,” the email adds. It says the re-interviews will take place between November 4 and 11.
Proton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.