Sony boss quits after email hack

Sony Pictures' Amy Pascal has stepped down as
co-chair of Sony's movie studio following a
debilitating cyber attack that revealed her private
emails.
Ms Pascal will start a production company that will
launch in May 2015.
She has already apologised for certain revelations
that came as a result of the leaked emails.
Last month, Sony condemned the "vicious" attack,
which led it to suspend the release of the film 'The
Interview'.
Photo: A scene from 'The Interview'
"I have spent almost my entire professional life at
Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this
new chapter based at the company I call home,"
said Ms Pascal in a statement.
She added that her transition to a production role
had been discussed "for some time".
'Insensitive and inappropriate'
As part of the agreement, Sony will fund her
production company for at least the next four years,
and it will retain distribution rights.
Sony did not immediately name a successor to Ms
Pascal, leaving Michael Lynton as the sole head of
one of Hollywood's biggest production studios.
Ms Pascal was one of the highest profile Sony
names whose emails were leaked as part of the
hack.
She reportedly commented on the viewing habits of
President Barack Obama in a derogatory manner in
an email to producer Scott Rudin.
Ms Pascal and Mr Rudin both subsequently
apologised for the emails, with Ms Pascal saying in
a statement at the time: "The content of my emails
to Scott were insensitive and inappropriate but are
not an accurate reflection of who I am.
"Although this was a private communication that
was stolen, I accept full responsibility for what I
wrote and apologize to everyone who was
offended."
Hack fallout
On 24 November, Sony revealed that it had been the
subject of a hack by a group calling themselves
Guardians of Peace (GOP).
GOP was later traced back to North Korea, who US
authorities believe instituted the attack in retaliation
for Sony's decision to produce 'The Interview', in
which North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un is killed.
The group gained access to the firm's network and
stole huge amounts of internal information, including
emails and copies of films, such as Annie, that had
not yet been released.
Although Sony did withdraw 'The Interview' before
its planned release, it ultimately made it available to
view online and allowed it to be shown at some
cinemas.
The film made about $15m (£9.6m) through
downloads alone over its first three days of
distribution.
SourcE: BBC