Pinterest has dismissed two engineers after they created and shared a software tool that identified colleagues who had been made redundant during a recent round of job cuts, according to reports.
The digital pinboard company announced earlier this month that it would cut about 15 per cent of its workforce, roughly 700 roles, as chief executive Bill Ready said the business was “doubling down on an AI-forward approach”. Pinterest did not disclose which teams would be affected by the reductions.
Following the announcement, two engineers wrote custom scripts that accessed internal systems to flag when employee accounts were deactivated, effectively revealing the names and locations of staff who had lost their jobs. The information was then shared more widely, prompting the company to take disciplinary action.
A Pinterest spokesperson said the engineers had “improperly accessed confidential company information” and described the actions as a clear breach of company policy and a violation of affected employees’ privacy. It remains unclear whether the data was shared solely with colleagues inside the business or beyond the company.
The scripts targeted internal communication and access tools, according to the BBC, citing a source familiar with the incident. The code reportedly triggered alerts when employee names were removed from internal systems.
Pinterest has been ramping up investment in artificial intelligence to improve personalisation for users and automate tools for advertisers. However, investor confidence has been shaken, with shares down more than 20 per cent this year as markets weigh the competitive threat posed by newer and more advanced AI platforms.
Ready told staff in an internal meeting that while debate and dissent were healthy, employees who fundamentally disagreed with the company’s direction should consider their future elsewhere, according to CNBC, which first reported the firings.
The incident comes amid a broader wave of job losses across the tech sector as companies restructure around AI. Last week, Amazon announced a further 16,000 redundancies worldwide, while Meta said it would cut more than 1,000 roles from its Reality Labs division. Design software maker Autodesk has also confirmed plans to shed around 1,000 jobs this month.
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Pinterest sacks engineers after internal tool exposed laid-off staff during AI-driven cuts