We are, disturbingly, in a Gilded Age 2.0.0 era and, like the corrupt industrial tycoons of years past, we have tech tycoons forcing LLMs and data centers upon us. Software should be used to enhance and enrich the lives of staff and customers instead of extracting all their worth.
Worse, we have to be much more diligent about what we pay for and be quick to cancel when they disregard their engineers and customers. As was — and still is the case — where you must Avoid Zoom, you need to cancel any/all services with Proton as well. To quote from 404 Media:
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".
Even more damning:
Our reporting reveals a culture of fear inside Proton, where many employees are hesitant to even mildly critique Yen’s views or discuss engineering problems. Workers describe an environment where employees have genuine concerns about security or being asked to develop security products with AI, but feel unable to voice them, lest Yen berates them in front of everyone or threatens their employment at the company.
This is another example of late stage capitalism where the focus is on profit for profit’s sake by reducing wages, forcing longer working hours, and creating toxic work environments. We can fight back — and must — by immediately canceling these companies along with their lack of morals, ethics, and fighting for a better, purpose driven, future.
Evidence
The following captures the articles and supporting evidence. Most are listed in chronological, descending, order:
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Proton User Forum: The customer base is calling for Andy Yen steps aside, Dump your CEO, and more. Love this quote: "We don’t want a product that is AI coded. And we don’t want the people hard at work, making Proton a viable alternative to big tech, being treated like garbage - like they work for Big Tech."
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Proton To ‘Re-Interview’ Staff About AI To See Who Gets To Keep Their Job by 404 Media.
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Manifestos, Fear, and ‘Loser Thinking’: Inside Proton’s AI Reckoning by 404 Media.
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What not to do as a CEO pushing AI? Call your workers ‘losers’ by Fast Company: This includes Andy Yen’s wish list for being a "996 company" which means expecting employees to work 9AM to 9PM, six days a week. Screw that!
While the CEO, Andy Yen, has canceled his original "Re-Interviews" mandate this doesn’t ignore the exposing of his true thoughts and motivations because a leader — of any caliber — wouldn’t think like this because they should be leaning on the expertise of their staff in order to collaborate and achieve the best outcomes. In other words, a leader is a servent, not a dictator, that supports their staff not belittles them. To quote the late — and great — Patrick Stewart’s character, Jean Luc Picard:
The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.
Alternatives
Conclusion
Proton is a security company that is supposed to be focused on secure email, calendar, VPN, and more. The last place you want someone forcing — and mindlessly injecting LLM generated output — is a security company. If you are locked in a yearly subscription, demand a pro-rated refund for the remaining days.
We have removed Proton from our macOS Configuration project, as well, as we continue (which is more of a battle these days) to remove and avoid software made by toxic companies.
We must continue to fight, especially in this era of great Wealth Inequality, corruption, and grifting. We have the power by voting and not paying for services that don’t protect and provide for their staff and customers.