Pinterest Fires Engineer for Sharing Layoff Data

Teddy Martin says he was trying to help, but Pinterest claims he violated employee privacy.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 7:27pm by Ben Kaplan

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex network of illuminated data cables, server racks, and other digital infrastructure components, representing the hidden digital heart of a tech company's operations.As tensions rise over transparency and privacy during tech layoffs, the complex digital infrastructure at the core of a company's operations is illuminated, exposing the tensions between workers and management.San Francisco Today

Pinterest engineer Teddy Martin was fired after he shared a simple command in Slack that aggregated data on recently deactivated employee accounts by office location. Pinterest accused Martin of violating employee privacy, but Martin maintains the command did not reveal any individual names. The incident has sparked a debate over worker transparency and privacy during tech layoffs.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing tensions between tech workers and management over issues of transparency, privacy, and the right to organize during difficult times like mass layoffs. It raises questions about how much access employees should have to company data, and whether sharing that information, even without revealing names, can be considered a fireable offense.

The details

After surviving a round of layoffs at Pinterest, Martin saw a tool that could aggregate data on deactivated employee accounts by office. He shared this ldapsearch command in Slack, but it was quickly deleted by an administrator. The next day, Martin was fired and told he had made a "gross misuse of privileged access." Pinterest claims the script could have been used to identify laid-off employees, but Martin maintains it only showed aggregated numbers, not names. Other Pinterest employees say similar commands were commonly used to understand the impact of layoffs.

  • In late January 2026, Pinterest conducted layoffs, leaving employees confused about the scope and reasoning.
  • A couple hours after Martin shared the ldapsearch command in Slack, it was deleted by an administrator.
  • The next morning, on January 30, 2026, Martin was fired in a 15-minute meeting.

The players

Teddy Martin

A former Pinterest engineer who was fired after sharing a tool that aggregated data on recently deactivated employee accounts.

Bill Ready

The CEO of Pinterest, who described "obstructionist" behavior that the company would not tolerate in an all-hands meeting after Martin's firing.

Pinterest

The technology company that fired Martin, claiming he violated employee privacy by sharing the layoff data tool.

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What they’re saying

“Mr. Martin's actions undermined his laid-off colleagues' privacy, disregarding Pinterest's efforts to protect personal information they may not want shared. Many people don't want others to know that they were let go, but Mr. Martin made that choice for them. Protecting our laid-off colleagues is the right thing to do. We stand behind that.”

— Ivy Choi, Pinterest spokesperson

“At no point did Teddy share any personally identifiable information about his coworkers. Pinterest's decision to lay off the workers is the one 'that will affect their future employment opportunities.'”

— Douglas Farrar, Spokesperson for Teddy Martin

What’s next

Martin is considering legal options in response to his firing, which he believes was an attempt to silence dissent within Pinterest.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the growing tensions between tech workers and management over issues of transparency, privacy, and the right to organize during difficult times like mass layoffs. It raises questions about how much access employees should have to company data, and whether sharing that information, even without revealing names, can be considered a fireable offense.