Pinterest has fired two engineers who developed software to track which staff members were let go during a recent round of layoffs.

A company spokesperson stated that the engineers wrote custom scripts to gain unauthorized access to private company records. They used this data to find the names and locations of former employees before sharing the list. Pinterest noted that this move violated both company policy and worker privacy, though it remains unclear if the information was shared only within the office or leaked publicly.

The job cuts are expected to affect about 15% of the workforce, or roughly 700 people. According to a LinkedIn post from a former staff member, CEO Bill Ready told the team that he is "doubling down on an AI-forward approach." This refers to a strategy of prioritizing artificial intelligence to drive the company's future growth.

The report also mentions that Pinterest has been spending heavily on AI to build more personalized content and automated tools for advertisers. Despite these efforts, the company's stock price has dropped by more than 20% this year. These job losses reflect a larger trend in the industry, as other major tech firms like Amazon, Meta, and Autodesk have also announced significant layoffs.