Snapchat CEO: If You Look Back, ‘You’re Just Gonna Kill Yourself’

Evan Spiegel downplays reports company was warned of vulnerability

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel says he thought his company had done enough to provide users’ personal information before 4.6 million phone numbers were compromised.

“At the time, we thought we had done enough, but in a business like this, one that’s moving so quickly, if you spend your time looking backwards, you’re just gonna kill yourself,” he told NBC’s “Today” in an interview Monday.

Also read: Snapchat Security Breach: Why the Hack Doesn’t Really Matter to Users – or the Company

The 23-year-old head of the photo-sharing app downplayed reports that the company had been warned that the site was vulnerable. Gibson Security, an Australian-based tech research firm, first flagged the security issue in August.

Snapchat addressed the potential leak in a blog post Dec. 27, and days later, hackers posted blurred user names and phone numbers online, saying they wanted to “raise awareness” of Snapchat’s failure to protect users’ information.

Also read: Snapchat Hacked, 4.6 Million Users’ Phone Numbers Compromised

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