Sony Hack Reveals Hidden Silver Lining for Office Culture

The Sony Pictures hack, which the U.S. State Department believes originated from North Korea, caused both a personal crisis for its employees and a potential national security crisis for the United States. One effect of the hack on interpersonal communications within Sony represents a regression to an older, far less technologically savvy time.

One Sony employee,  speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the workplace since the massive security breach was carried out by hackers on November 24. “We had barely working email and no voicemail, so people talked to each other. Some people had to send faxes,” she said in an interview with TechCrunch. “They were dragging old printers out of storage to cut checks. It was crazy.”

Individuals using Macs were reportedly not affected as greatly as those who used PCs, particularly as several machines had not been backed up or updated for years. The infiltrators stole personal banking information and released a slew of personal emails about celebrities, which could result in the severance of several high-profile relationships within upper management.

Yet, there is a silver lining. The Sony employee described how the hack job has necessitated actual face-to-face communication. Upper management has reportedly been placing emphasis on putting down the phone and engaging in actual peer-to-peer talk. “More people are interacting and getting to know different people in different departments,” the employee said. She even told TechCrunch that she and her fellow employees are closer now.

Sony Pictures is the American entertainment subsidiary of the Japanese-owned technology and media conglomerate Sony. North Korea and Japan have yet to establish formal relations, as their designated governments work through the hostility of past tensions.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz