Evan Spiegel blew it.

For months, security researchers warned Spiegel that Snapchat, the social media platform he and a Stanford buddy created, had a major privacy flaw. The Huffington Post writes Spiegel and his team never fixed the problem.

Then, in late 2013, a hacker stole phone records and usernames of millions of Snapchat users and posted them online.

Welp, guess Spiegel (recently named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30”) should have fixed that security breach after all.

Was the Snapchat team too busy to deal with the issue? Maybe Spiegel and company never thought they’d actually get hacked?

Whatever the reason, here’s what happened:

Our own careers can go down the same path as Snapchat (minus 4.5 million angry users with stolen data). If we’re not careful, we can get burned. Here’s what I mean:

Bad Job Interview

Good Job Interview

Want four solid questions to bring to your next interview? Read these.

Bad Networking

Good Networking

…Or did I just blow your mind? Keep reading for a deeper explanation.

Bad Job Search Habit

Good Job Search Habit

Bad Public Speaking

Good Public Speaking

Bad Use of Ability

Good Use of Ability

Don’t believe me? Listen to her. Talent IS overrated.

Was your Snapchat account compromised? Do you feel exposed?

Let us know!

Feature photo from Tech Crunch (Flickr)