Keeping Secrets by Evan Spiegel, Snapchat CEO (Collateral Damage of the Sony Hack)

The recent hack on Sony that has incidentally affected many people over the past couple weeks claims another causality. Snapchat has become the most recent victim when emails containing many of Snapchat's secrets came into public view. In a twist of bad luck, it turns out that Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton (who sits on Snapchat's board) and Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel communicate often about acquisitions, future endeavours, and other sensitive information.

Evan shared his thoughts about the recent events with his team and the world:

Keeping Secrets

I've been feeling a lot of things since our business plans were made public last night. Definitely angry. Definitely devastated.

I felt like I was going to cry all morning, so I went on a walk and thought through a couple of things. I even ran into one of my high school design teachers. She gave me a huge hug. I really needed it.

And I really need to tell you that I'm so proud of all of you. I want to give you all a huge hug because keeping secrets is exhausting.

Keeping secrets means coming home late, after working all clay and night. Curling up with your loved ones, hanging out with your friends, and not being able to share all of the incredible things you're working on. It's painful. It's tiring.

Secrets also bring us together.

We keep secrets because we love surprising people. We keep secrets because it's the best way to keep showing the world that growth is not only possible, it’s necessary. We keep secrets because it's the right thing to do, not because it’s the easy thing to do.

We keep secrets because we get to do our work free from judgment — until we're ready to share it. We keep secrets because keeping secrets gives you space to change your mind until you're really sure that you're right.

We care about taking the time to get things right. Secrets help us do that.

Secrets keep the space between our community and the public — space that we need to feel safe in our expression and creativity.

I am so sorry that our work has been violated and exposed.

A couple of people have asked me what we're going to do. First we're going to be really mad and angry and upset. And that’s ok.

It's not fair that the people who try to build us up and break us down get a glimpse of who we really are, It’s not fair that people get to take away all the hard work we've done to surprise our community, family, and friends.

It’s not okay that people steal our secrets and make public that which we desire to remain private.

When we're done being mad and angry and upset we're going to keep doing exactly what we are doing. And then we're going to do it ten times better.

We're going to change the world because this is not the one that we want to live in.

Evan Spiegel
December 17, 2014

I shared this with our team today and I wanted to share it with our partners and friends bc I think it's important. pic.twitter.com/eN5HpAhp42
— Evan Spiegel (@evanspiegel) December 17, 2014