Pinterest Fires Two Engineers After They Built Tool to Expose Layoffs

Pinterest has terminated two engineers after they created a software tool designed to identify which employees were affected by the company’s recent mass layoffs, according to reports from multiple sources.

The visual discovery platform announced significant workforce reductions earlier this month, with CEO Bill Ready informing staff that the company was “doubling down on an AI-forward approach,” according to a LinkedIn post by a former employee. The San Francisco-based company, which also maintains an office in London, confirmed that approximately 15% of its workforce—roughly 700 employees—would be affected by the cuts.

However, Pinterest did not initially specify which teams or individual staff members would be impacted by the layoffs, leaving many employees in a state of uncertainty.

In response to this ambiguity, two engineers at the company reportedly developed custom code to identify sacked staff members. A Pinterest spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating: “Two engineers wrote custom scripts improperly accessing confidential company information to identify the locations and names of all dismissed employees and then shared it more broadly. This was a clear violation of Pinterest policy and of their former colleagues’ privacy.”

The scripts—automated sets of commands designed to modify or extend existing software functionality—were reportedly aimed at internal communication tools used by workers, according to an anonymous source cited by the BBC. This source, described as “familiar with the firings,” explained that the code created alerts whenever employee names were being removed or deactivated from company systems.

It remains unclear whether the engineers shared the information solely with colleagues or with individuals outside of Pinterest. The engineers have not been publicly named.

Pinterest has been aggressively investing in artificial intelligence to deliver more personalized content to users and develop automated tools for marketers. Despite these efforts, the company’s shares have declined by more than 20% this year as investors evaluate the competitive threat posed by more advanced AI platforms.

During a company-wide meeting following the incident, Ready addressed the situation, telling employees that while “healthy debate and dissent are expected, that’s how we make our decisions,” according to CNBC, which first reported the news. The CEO emphasized that Pinterest was facing a “critical moment” and suggested that staff who were “working against the direction of the company” and disagreed with its mission should consider seeking employment elsewhere.

This incident occurs against the backdrop of widespread job cuts across the technology sector as companies increasingly pivot toward AI-driven operations. Last week, Amazon announced plans to eliminate 16,000 roles worldwide, marking its second round of redundancies in just three months. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, revealed plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs from its Reality Labs division to reallocate resources toward AI wearables and phone features. Meanwhile, Autodesk, a prominent design software maker, announced plans this month to reduce its workforce by approximately 1,000 positions.

The Pinterest layoffs and subsequent firing of the two engineers highlight the complex tensions emerging in tech companies as they navigate the transition to AI-centric business models while managing workforce reductions and maintaining employee trust.

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Pinterest layoffs, fired engineers, AI automation, tech job cuts, workplace privacy, Silicon Valley layoffs, employee monitoring, corporate restructuring, artificial intelligence, tech industry trends, workforce reduction, company policy violation, software development ethics, corporate culture, tech sector layoffs 2024

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