Michael Lynton on the infamous Sony hack and learning from his mistakes

About this episode

Michael Lynton discusses the Sony hack and the decisions that led to it, along with insights from his new book.

Former Sony Entertainment CEO and current Snap Inc. Chairman Michael Lynton joins Mixed Signals to revisit the decision that led to one of the most consequential hacks in history: approving The Interview, the Seth Rogen–James Franco comedy that provoked a cyberattack from North Korea. Max and Ben ask why he broke his own greenlight process, and how he managed the fallout as private emails were leaked and careers were upended. They also dive into Lynton’s new book with Josh Steiner, and why he was frustrated by the US federal government’s inaction on its own TikTok ban. Sign up for Semafor Media’s Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltaniIf you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com

People in this episode

Hosts: Max, Ben

Guest: Michael Lynton

Topics covered

• Sony hack
• cybersecurity
• film industry
• government action
• business decisions

Keywords

• Sony hack
• Michael Lynton
• The Interview
• cyberattack
• TikTok ban

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sony Entertainment, Snap Inc., North Korea, US federal government

Books & works: The Interview

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