Proton is preparing for a workplace where writing code may no longer be a job for human engineers. The Swiss company, known for its encrypted email and privacy-focused services, plans to stop hiring engineers after this year and bring in people who can use artificial intelligence (AI) to develop products instead.CEO Andy Yen shared this plan with employees in an internal Slack conversation in August.
He believes developers will increasingly move away from writing code themselves and focus on giving AI systems instructions, preparing tests and checking the output. The company intends to follow this approach from next year, with former product management roles taking on much of the work involved in building products.The decision is part of a wider push by Proton to make AI a routine part of its operations.
However, the speed of this transition has raised questions among employees, particularly because the company develops products that handle sensitive information and rely heavily on security.AI now writes most of Proton's codeThe extent of Proton's adoption is already considerable. According to a meeting cited by 404 Media, CTO Bart Butler told employees in October that AI was generating 90 per cent of the company's code.
Employees told the publication that Anthropic's Claude is among the main tools being used. AI is also being introduced into departments beyond engineering.
Internal company guidelines reportedly permit employees to use it for financial data processing and preparing responses for customers on platforms such as Reddit and LinkedIn. Proton has also installed software on employees' computers to measure how much AI-generated code they produce.
But not everyone inside the company is convinced that moving faster with AI should take priority over existing engineering practices. One employee raised concerns about releasing newly written code without spending a few days testing it for security vulnerabilities.Yen dismissed the suggestion in Slack, calling it “bullshit and loser thinking”.
He argued that developers should use AI to work faster rather than continue writing and checking code manually. The company's CTO has also circulated a document outlining how engineering roles should change.
It argues that developers must learn to guide AI models and that AI systems should eventually take over much of the code review process, instead of relying on humans to examine every change.Employees reportedly worried about AI-driven job cuts The change in expectations has reportedly created uncertainty among Proton's workforce. According to 404 Media, the company recently informed employees that it would conduct fresh interviews to assess how they were using AI.
Some workers fear the process could determine whether they remain employed.During an internal discussion, an employee suggested that Proton should help workers who were struggling to adopt AI rather than make them anxious about their positions. Yen responded that the company already had a fair idea of who was falling behind.
The employee also questioned the impact of such an approach on workplace culture, arguing that people should be able to raise concerns without worrying about the consequences.The developments come as Proton faces pressure to improve its business performance. An internal document cited by 404 Media reportedly said the company was falling short of its annual recurring revenue target and that its growth was below market expectations.
Responding to the publication, a Proton spokesperson acknowledged that some employees were unhappy with the company's decision.“It’s clear that some people at Proton are unhappy with our direction, or misunderstand it, and many people are anxious,” the company said. “In our determination to move fast, we have sometimes been too blunt or too slow in explaining ourselves to our people. We will work on that, as their questions are the ones we most need to answer.”- Ends