Swiss VPN company to re-interview staff on AI, and the results could decide who stays

Proton is reviewing employees for their ability to use artificial intelligence at work. Staff members must discuss how AI helps them perform their jobs, improve products, or develop better ways of working. The company wants people to show curiosity, judgment, and urgency as AI changes work.

The review is not simply a training exercise. Proton said the re-interviews are consequential, and the results will support a broader organisational review. Employees will be assessed against common criteria by leaders selected for strong AI capability. The process began with senior leaders and will continue across the company from November 4 to 11.

Not everyone will be interviewed, and job decisions will be communicated separately. The assessments could affect roles, responsibilities, and continued employment. Proton's approach reflects a wider business trend in which companies connect AI adoption with workforce changes, including reorganisations and job cuts.

Proton will use interviewers from outside employees' teams and reporting lines. These interviewers will come from a pool of leaders whom Proton considers strong in AI. They have agreed on shared assessment criteria, which is meant to create a common basis for evaluating employees across different parts of the company.

The process already started at the top: CEO Andy Yen interviewed more than 40 senior leaders in Engineering and Product. From November 4 to 11, selected employees will face similar conversations with leaders from elsewhere in the organisation. Interviewers will record their assessments rather than leaving the process as an informal discussion.

The outcome may be serious. Proton said the assessments will contribute to a wider organisational review that could change roles and responsibilities or affect continued employment. Not everyone will be interviewed, and Proton said individual job decisions will be shared separately as soon as possible.

The workforce shift described in the article operates at several scales. Inside Proton, CEO Andy Yen has already interviewed more than 40 senior leaders across Engineering and Product. The company is now extending the assessment to other employees, although it has not said how many people will be interviewed.

The wider figures are much larger. Goldman Sachs economists estimate that up to 9% of workers in developed economies could be displaced as AI spreads. The article also links AI-related overhauls to planned cuts at Barclays, Kroger, and FICO. Those companies announced reductions of about 5,000, 3,000, and roughly 15% of staff, respectively.

These numbers show that Proton's interviews are part of a broader workforce debate, not an isolated exercise. The article says job losses may accelerate when the economy slows. At Proton, the immediate next step is a November assessment process whose results could reshape the organisation.

Proton's assessments are tied to organisational decisions, not just skill development. The company said the interviews will feed a wider review of how the organisation works. That review could change what people are responsible for, how roles are structured, and which positions continue.

For example, an employee may be assessed by a leader from another team on how effectively they use AI. Interviewers will document their judgments using common criteria. Proton wants workers who can turn AI capabilities into better products and new working methods, so demonstrated usefulness may matter in the review.

The most direct consequence is possible job loss. Proton said the re-interviews are consequential and may affect continued employment. However, the company did not say that every interviewee will lose a job or that every employee will be interviewed. It promised to share individual outcomes separately and as soon as possible.

Proton's AI push is aimed at more than adding a feature to its existing services. The company wants employees who can turn AI's capabilities into better products and new ways of working. It is asking for curiosity, judgment, and urgency as the technology changes how work can be done.

The clearest example is Lumo, a chatbot Proton presents as a privacy-first alternative to mainstream AI assistants. Lumo shows that Proton is applying its privacy focus to an AI product, not limiting itself to encrypted email and VPN services. CEO Andy Yen has also been steering the company toward AI for some time.

The workforce review is the organisational side of that strategy. Proton is testing whether employees can contribute to an AI-focused direction. The article does not say that Mail or VPN products are being replaced. It shows the company adding AI products and evaluating whether its workforce can support that change.

The article describes companies using AI as part of major workforce decisions. Barclays said it would cut about 5,000 jobs, Kroger around 3,000, and FICO roughly 15% of its staff. Each company connected those reductions to an overhaul linked to AI.

These examples differ from Proton's process. The companies cited have announced specific cuts, while Proton is interviewing employees to assess their AI skills before deciding what may change. Proton's review could alter roles, responsibilities, and employment, but the article does not provide a planned number of job losses.

The broader direction is clear in the article: businesses are reorganising around AI while trying to capture its benefits. Goldman Sachs economists estimate that up to 9% of workers in developed economies could be displaced. They also expect losses to accelerate when the economy slows, suggesting that AI-related workforce pressure may grow.

Artificial intelligence can replace tasks when software performs parts of work that people previously handled. It can also support workers by generating ideas, processing information, or helping them develop products and processes. The article presents both possibilities: AI may displace workers, yet employees who use it well may improve products and invent new ways to work.

At Proton, this balance appears in the re-interviews. Leaders will assess whether employees can turn AI capabilities into better products and working methods. The company is not describing a single tool or task. Instead, it is judging practical ability, along with curiosity, judgment, and urgency, as AI becomes more important to its strategy.

The consequences remain uncertain for Proton employees. Some roles or responsibilities may change, and continued employment could be affected. At the same time, the company is expanding into AI with Lumo. The article suggests that future work may reward people who combine human judgment with AI-supported production.