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,” according to an internal Proton email obtained by 404 Media.

“These re-interviews are consequential,” a part of the email reads. “Interviewers will document their assessments, which will inform the broader review of our organization and talent. That review may lead to changes in roles, responsibilities, and continued employment. Individual outcomes will be communicated directly once decisions are finalized.”

Proton’s CEO Andy Yen has steadily pushed the company towards more AI use, including launching AI centered products like Lumo, a privacy-focused chatbot. The leaked email says Yen “interviewed more than 40 senior leaders across Engineering and Product to begin this process.” Now, those interviews are extending across the company.

“We need people who can translate AI’s capabilities into better products, stronger execution, and new ways of working — and who approach this change with curiosity, judgment, and urgency,” the email reads.

The email says that not everyone in the company will be re-interviewed, and “any decisions affecting your employment will be communicated separately.” The interviewer will be outside the staff member’s team and reporting line; instead, people may be interviewed by someone from “a pool of leaders who demonstrate strong AI capability and have aligned on the assessment criteria.”

“We recognize that this process creates uncertainty. We will be clear about what has been decided and what remains open, and communicate individual outcomes as soon as we can,” the email adds. It says the re-interviews will take place between November 4 and 11.

Proton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, I got an email from a man in Russia whose Instagram account had been banned. “I have now lost access to 13 years of personal photos, videos and memories,” he wrote. “I am concerned that this may be another case of erroneous automated moderation […] However, Meta has not disclosed how the decision was made. Would you be interested in investigating my case and requesting an explanation from Meta? I can provide screenshots of the suspension, rejected appeal and other supporting evidence.”

The email seemed AI-generated, like many others we have gotten recently. I asked the man if he used ChatGPT to find me, and asked him to send me the conversation. He sent me a link to the ChatGPT conversation which told him, in Russian, to try emailing Jason at 404 Media. 

“How can I get my account back?” the man asked ChatGPT on Wednesday. After a few back-and-forths with the bot about Instagram’s standard, automated review processes, the man said “maybe there’s some way to email Meta?” ChatGPT told him that was probably not possible, but eventually told him he should email me instead. 

“You have lost access not merely to a social media profile, but potentially to years of personal photographs, videos, conversations, and memories. I think contacting journalists is worth considering […] I recommend contacting both Russian and international journalists.” 

ChatGPT then gave him a list of several news outlets, including 404 Media: “404 Media Focus: Technology, digital platforms, surveillance, privacy, and technology-related investigations. Email: jason@404media.co.” It then wrote him the exact email he sent me, in English. 

Because big tech platforms essentially do not have customer support and make it impossible for their users to contact a human, many people experiencing run-of-the-mill tech problems have turned to ChatGPT. And, increasingly, ChatGPT is telling people that have normal tech support problems that they have discovered something journalistically notable and that 404 Media, specifically, can help them. Around two weeks ago, we started emailing these people back and asking them how they found us; universally, the answer is that an AI chatbot recommended they reach out to us and, in many cases, the chatbot wrote the email, according to reviews of a handful of ChatGPT conversations shared with 404 Media.

Ten years after its original release, we revisit a defining album for both artist and label.

Originally released on October 26th, 2016, as the fourth artist album on ASIP, Dennis Huddleston, aka 36’s The Infinity Room would go on to become a landmark release, amassing over 12 million streams and earning a devoted following, with many calling for a repress soon after its original release.  

Written during a period of ill health that left Dennis housebound, the album became an exercise in escaping physical limitations through music. Working with a deliberately restricted sound palette, each track opened the door to another, establishing an approach to the album format that Dennis would continue to explore in the decade that followed. As he recalls, "My body was stuck in one room, but my mind journeyed to the infinite rooms beyond it."

For this tenth anniversary edition, Dennis has returned to the original project files, revisiting the mixes and correcting technical limitations while preserving the character of the original recordings. Newly mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, who also mastered the 2016 edition, the album is presented alongside The Further Rooms — a collection of recordings originally hidden behind a secret URL and password etched into the runout of the first pressing, now appearing together on vinyl for the first time.

The new artwork comes courtesy of Davy Evans, whose visual work first caught the label and Dennis’ attention in a custom 36 video in 2021. Combining hands-on techniques with digital experimentation, Davy's intricate process culminated in a new interpretation of the original orb motif and a fitting evolution of an album that has become an important part of ASIP and 36's history.

A decade on, some things are worth rediscovering, and some, were never meant to end.

Available to preorder now on Bandcamp, with new UK/EU shopping option.

   

Global stores and distribution to follow soon…

  

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

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Hope this insight ruins you as much as it ruined me.

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