Pinterest fires two engineers who developed a tool to identify employees for layoffs
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Photo-sharing service Pinterest has announced that it will lay off less than 15% of its employees in January 2026. Two engineers who developed a software tool to identify and share information about employees who have lost their jobs as a result of the layoffs have reportedly been fired.
Pinterest sacks two engineers for creating software to identify fired workers | Pinterest | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/04/pinterest-sacks-two-engineers-for-software-identify-fired-workers
In a regulatory filing (PDF) filed in late January 2026, Pinterest revealed it plans to lay off less than 15% of its employees and reduce its office space. The layoffs are expected to be completed by September 30, 2026, affecting approximately 700 employees.
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According to the British daily newspaper The Guardian, two Pinterest engineers illegally accessed confidential company information, identifying the names and locations of all employees who had been laid off, and sharing this information through an internal communication tool that allowed other employees to be notified of each employee's layoff.
A Pinterest spokesperson said, 'This is a clear violation of Pinterest's policies and the privacy of former employees who worked at the company.' The two engineers who developed the app have been fired.
Pinterest stated the purpose of the layoffs was to 'reallocate resources to teams and roles that drive AI adoption and execution,' 'prioritize AI-enabled products and features,' and 'accelerate the transformation of our sales and go-to-market approach.' Tessa Chen, a Pinterest spokesperson, said, 'We are making organizational changes to further our AI strategy, including hiring AI-savvy talent. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to some team members. We thank them for their contributions and will support them with severance and benefits.'
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