- Pinterest fired two engineers for creating a tool to track layoffs via Slack and other platforms
- The tool scanned internal communications to alert staff about coworkers' profile deactivations
- Pinterest said the project violated company policies and employee privacy by accessing confidential data
Pinterest has fired two engineers for building an internal monitoring tool aimed at tracking layoffs. The programme scanned Slack and other communication platforms to alert staff when coworkers' profiles were deactivated, providing an early warning system for the upcoming job cuts. Though the identity of the employees has not been revealed, Pinterest said their project was a violation of the company's policies.
"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," a Pinterest spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.
"This was a clear violation of Pinterest policy and of their former colleagues' privacy."
Checking Slack and other internal tools for coworkers who are quietly removed from channels of conversation is a common way for employees to learn who is no longer required at the company. The two engineers simply automated the system.
The accused employees seemingly developed the monitoring tool after Pinterest announced to its investors that it would be slashing approximately 15 per cent of its workforce, equivalent to around 700 roles. Without naming the departments that would be affected, the company said it was pivoting to strategies involving artificial intelligence (AI).
Also Read | 'I'm Heartbroken': Ishan Tharoor Reacts After Being Laid Off By Washington Post
Layoffs Across Tech Sector
Pinterest laying off employees comes in the backdrop of Amazon slashing approximately 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass layoffs in three months. The e-commerce giant said it plans to use generative AI to replace corporate workers.
The layoffs announced earlier this month are Amazon's biggest since 2023, when the company cut 27,000 jobs. Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a blog post that the company has been "reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy".
Across the entire tech industry, an estimated 700,000 people have been laid off over the last four years, according to Layoffs.fyi.
