Sony exec calls 2011 PlayStation hack ‘baptism by fire’

Back in 2011, there was a PlayStation Network hack that affected around 77 million people. At the time, Sony warned that names, addresses, and other personal data had been made accessible to hackers and the online service was suspended by Sony.

Shawn Layden, now the President & CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, was the chief operating officer when the hack took place. In an interview with Polygon, Layden lamented over that time in 2011 and revealed how the hack was a necessary evil for Sony. It taught the company the importance of complacency and ignorance.

"It took years off my life. I remember the day.

"If it had to happen to us, I'm glad it happened then. We've learned so much from that experience.

"We were in as good a position as we could be at the time with what was, at the time, state of the art. But we did get hit and we have taken our capabilities in that area to the highest degree possible. So no one is complacent or, or ignorant about the dangers and the challenges that are out there but I think we are in a much better place today.

"We have had our baptism by fire"

Do you think Sony has been doing a good job since the 2011 hacks?