Coinbase's acquisition of Blockchain Analytics company Neutrino two weeks ago was widely criticized as disrespecting user privacy and even endangering their security after it was revealed that key Neutrino employees previously worked for Hacking Team, an Italian firm that sold spyware to authoritarian regimes for use against human rights lawyers and activists. After much public backlash especially on social media Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced that these employees would be let go, without going into details of which team members would be let go when, and providing reassurance they wouldn't later be hired back as independent contractors. This all comes amid news that Coinbase lost customer data through a previous intermediary, who sold it to unknown third parties. Coinbase's competitors however regard Neutrino as an inferior product, while others insist they never sell or lend customer data.