Proton CEO Andy Yen gave a surprisingly sharp interview to the Swiss magazine “watson” (source in German: https://www.watson.ch/digital/wirtschaft/517198902-proton-schweiz-chef-andy-yen-zum-ausbau-der-staatlichen-ueberwachung). He warned that Proton might leave Switzerland if new surveillance laws are passed, which aligns with the company’s strong pro-privacy stance. So far, nothing unexpected.
However, Yen’s remarks about Swiss officials - describing them as lifelong bureaucrats, all lazy, and incompetent - came across as arrogant and out of place, almost like something you’d expect from a capitalism praising Trump supporter. he also was quoted in the interview, that the US works better (so they consider to move there?).
The interview left me speechless, and I’m certain I won’t be considering Proton for any of my future projects
I read the entire interview, and while it was a browser translation, I didn’t get the same sense from it as OP. It reads to me like standard commentary from someone who works in secure services.
The comment about the US was more about the fact that they wouldn’t have the same obligations to expose users or implement backdoors as what this regulation is asking, and that’s true. The US is still (thankfully) supportive of E2EE services. How long that lasts is unknown, but it is still nonetheless true right now.
And calling the politicians lazy bureaucrats, etc.? I call Democrats stuff like that all the time.
He’s said some other potentially problematic things, depending on how you read them, but this seems pretty innocuous and in line with what I’d expect from someone in his position.
Bereaucrats being lazy is a common theme, for a reason. I don’t get people who act like this isn’t a well-known common issue, in pretty much any government.
true true, not the same ones, different ones. like national security letters and warrants and the like