Patreon fires entire security team

A former Patreon Security Team member has confirmed on LinkedIn that the entire company’s security team has been let go.

Patreon describes its platform as “the best place for creators to build memberships by providing exclusive access to their work and a deeper connection with their communities.”

People can choose to subscribe to creator accounts and pay in different tiers for access to exclusive content, or as a way of showing financial support. It is a popular platform for musicians, podcasters, and other creators on the internet.

Emily Metcalfe was a security and privacy engineer for Patreon from November 2021 through September 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Ellen Satterwhite, Patreon’s head of US policy confirmed the five layoffs to TodayBusinessUpdates.com. Satterwhite declined to comment further but confirmed to the blog that the entire security team had been fired.

However, Business Insider reports that a former Patreon security employee (unspecified) commented that the entire team found out about the firing in a brief, 10-minute meeting. The former employee referred to the meeting as “a joke” for the unprofessional handling of the matter.

Satterwhite stated that it would work with outside organizations to perform security assessments its security team would normally handle. Patreon continued, “as a global platform, we will always prioritize the security of our creators’ and customers’ data.”

This is yet another signal within the tech industry that economic slowdown is costing thousands of workers their jobs. Whether it is bad leadership, mismanagement, or overstaffing throughout COVID, we have been continuing to see tech company layoffs and calls for increased “efficiency.”