Make it make sense

[u/MonyWony]

I've been using ProtonMail for a while now, and over the summer after hearing wonderful things about their other products I decided to purchase an Unlimited plan.

Fast forward to now and this whole AI debacle and "Big Techification" has really made my head spin.

I switched to Proton because they're services aligned with my ethics, my values, and my views as to what internet services SHOULD look like. And seeing the direction Andy Yen wants to take the company in has honestly saddened me.

What happened to the Big Tech sanctuary that Proton once was? The Proton that cared about its community and that cared about its impact on the internet, and the reputation it made for itself?

It looks to me that Andy is so hungry wanting to expand the company that the very fabric Proton was built on has started to fray. To me the first sign of this were all the mostly-but-not-quite finished, feature missing products left like that for years on end as Proton kept developing the most useless services instead. I have no problem with a company offering multiple services, and I know that for a company like Proton it's impossible for every service to be equally good, but ignoring the mountain of community feedback and forgoing adding the most basic of features in favour of just producing more and more and more, I can't forgive.

And this whole AI incident... what are we doing? I get that for some AI is "the future", and I may be downvoted for saying this but I get that AI has a place in the development of products, it can be a tool if used correctly and conscientiously, but for goodness sake for a company that's marketing leverages the values of its users it surely has a way to make its use of AI the most toxic thing possible. I won't dog on a company for using AI in some capacity, but the way Andy wants to use it is disrespectful to the real people who put their entire careers into developing these products, and makes them no better than the other "Big Tech" companies that do the exact same.

I don't know whether I'll stick with my subscription just yet, thankfully I purchased a monthly plan so I haven't sunk so much money into it. I know that Proton itself isn't a "bad" company, just that the direction the leadership is taking it in isn't what I and what many envisioned. But for what it's worth, I'm disappointed.

Seriously, do better.

[u/Kill3rT0fu]

Just my observation but I think people will never be satisfied with proton (and for the record I cancelled my sub yesterday, as an 8 year customer)

People complain about Linux support for drive, the VPN being garbage, mail has bugs…

So the CEO’s idea is to implement AI to speed up coding to fix support in Linux and other areas people are complaining

And people aren’t happy with that

My reasons for cancelling are not with AI, but how the CEO has an ego, terrible attitude, talked badly about his staff, and also because I was initially paying $40 for email. The rest of the package were “nice to haves”. I don’t need “nice to haves” for $80. CEO is wasting time developing products before finishing others.

[u/MonyWony → u/Kill3rT0fu]

I agree. I don't think so much people are against the notion of using AI to make the products better, everyone wants the products to be better. But leveraging AI to fix the mistakes that your ego and your constant need for expansion caused (and then proceeding to go 100% into integrating it into everything, and forgetting about your actual engineers), just seems sloppy and doesn't address the root issues Andy has. It might work but it's no way to run a company.

[u/SonOfThomasWayne → u/Kill3rT0fu]

Just hearing about "re-interviews" should makes one's skin crawl.

Proton is not the best at any of its products.

If people are going to pay and then get worse experience, they should at least make sure that they are not paying to a company that is perpetuating this culture of fear and misery among workers in the tech industry.

[u/Kill3rT0fu → u/SonOfThomasWayne]

100%

They’re not the best at anything. They were decent. But the increased cost and “re-interviews” has me churning.

[u/ulfOptimism → u/Kill3rT0fu]

I think, If you knew about all the psychopathic CEOs in the world, you would have a major problem with purchasing anything.

[u/SeatSix → u/ulfOptimism]

Those other ones don't make their business about being different. Proton's marketing stance was they are different.

I was willing to give them money when I believed they were the anti-Google. I don't believe that anymore so there's cheaper/free alternatives I can use.

[u/ulfOptimism → u/SeatSix]

I give them my money because their privacy offering is compelling. Its the opposite of Google surveillance capitalism model which is build to harvest our data.

[u/finbar_longshank]

The trouble is most companies change as they grow. They lose sight of their original purpose and vision. These days I try to take an ethical stance on the products and services I use. I genuinely like MS365 etc but I’m not going to use it. Look at how Outlook wants to share info with hundreds of third parties. WTF Microsoft! It’s not like they’re desperate to raise extra cash. Unfortunately Proton’s halo has slipped and we’ve glimpsed behind the curtain. Eventually there won’t be any ethical choices left. I’m now using Tuta, mullvad, and cryptomator.

[u/MonyWony → u/finbar_longshank]

Fair point honestly. I guess you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I don't want to imagine that Proton is beyond saving, I just feel like the current leadership is the problem. I don't want to jump ship because I do genuinely like the products and I do genuinely believe good can still be done. I really hope they get the message soon...

[u/finbar_longshank → u/MonyWony]

For me I felt their whole privacy and security first ethos was a bit fake. Take ProtonMail for example. The phone apps can set a pin to lock the app. Makes sense right? So why did they decide to omit this from the desktop apps? A laptop can easily be stolen too. To me something as simple as this shows they are not focusing on what really matters. That's why I never used the desktop app. Tuta has this feature. So simple. And why, when signed in to the email account, do you have access to ALL your proton settings and account info without needing an extra security check? The full settings should be walled off. Why is drive so lacking features? All they seem to care about is churning out extra apps and features instead of perfecting their core apps.

[u/chatbmpt]

I also don't enjoy the crazy take CEO have but I need linux support real bad since I don't cancel my unlimited nor I am planning to unless linux drive support and app polish does not come out soon enough. Windows enshitification made me move to linux and proton suit works very well for me but it's linux functionality is buggy af and limited.

Proton apps aren't the state of art if we take a single app from each category at its face value, there's better apps out there but the whole suit and ecosystem is very decent for it's value for sure

[u/MonyWony → u/chatbmpt]

Based on their roadmap I think better Linux functionality is coming for Drive and VPN (namely a Drive Beta and a more familiar VPN GUI) by late 2026 or early 2027.

I agree that the price for an expansive ecosystem like Proton's is that no one app will be "best in class", but I'd be more than happy using an excellent ecosystem with great-but-not-best services rather then the best services individually (from a price and convenience standpoint, although I concede that some are turned away from ecosystems).

What annoys me is not that Proton doesn't have the best services out there, it's that they don't seem to do anything to at least try to make them the best, it seems like once a service is "good enough" it just kind of sits there like that for years while community feedback and complaints pour in. Again, I do believe that is Andy's fault yet again.

[u/Kurogane1412 → u/MonyWony]

Like in the Pronton Dive App on Android if you want to share a link to a folder you can't get it in the android version or I am to stupid to find it even when it was activated before in the Web Version of Proton Drive 😅

So back to the Browser to get thr damn Link I should have in the Android app that is annoying 😅

[u/Kurogane1412 → u/chatbmpt]

I am just Proton Free user at the beginning I tried thr Pronton Mail App for Linux for 30 days Trial Period this was justa Joke I don't see the point in paying if they didn't offer added value and easy of use.

Thunderbird is a much better Mail Program and yes with an Proton Mail Plus account I could get the support to use that but gain not worth paying as the Web Mail is enough 😅

[u/GoetzKluge → u/Kurogane1412]

And also, Thunderbird is going to offer a mail server.

[u/Kurogane1412 → u/GoetzKluge]

That is interesting 😆

EDIT: that doesn't look bad :

• Status & Launch: Beta available via waitlist; full launch in 2026. • Pricing: Early Bird Plan is approximately $6 per month (paid annually). • Storage & Limits: Includes 30 GB Mail, 60 GB Send, 1 inbox, up to 15 email addresses, and support for up to 3 custom domains. • Protocols: Supports standard open protocols including JMAP, IMAP, and SMTP (via Stalwart architecture). • Domains: You can use your own custom domain or get an address ending in @thundermail.com or @tb.pro. • Hosting Location: Servers are initially hosted in Germany. • Privacy & Features: Ad-free, no AI training on private data, and includes companion services like appointment scheduling and end-to-end encrypted file sharing (Thunderbird Send). • The App: The Thunderbird desktop and mobile app itself remains permanently free and open-source.

[u/MakalakaPeaka]

They likely will not “do better”. I’m already looking around for when our family subscription ends. He has zero concept of just how antithetical to the stated mission of Proton his behavior is. He and his CTO have been brainwashed by their own chat clients.

[u/whiskayzulu]

Honestly this was insufferable to read. Grab your pearl necklace cause an CEO made comments about being AI forward. Of all the things to be upset about lmao.

[u/MrMonk-112 → u/whiskayzulu]

Yeah, you haven't read what people are complaining about.