• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

The app that could have prevented Chris Christie’s traffic scandal

By
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 8, 2014, 4:33 PM ET

FORTUNE — We all know that email is forever, but that doesn’t mean we always act like it is.

The latest example comes this morning from New Jersey, where a smoking gun has emerged over allegations that Chris Christie closed local access lanes near Fort Lee as political payback for that city’s mayor not supporting Christie’s reelection bid. “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” wrote a senior Christie staffer to a Port Authority official, thus specifically tying Trenton to the tie-ups.

But now there is a new app that could eliminate such scandals in the future (albeit not the rotten underlying acts). It’s called Confide, and basically acts like Snapchat for professionals. Private, end-to-end encrypted, screenshot-proof messages (which leverage email addresses rather than phone numbers) that disappear shortly after they are sent. Uses could be everything from discussing the next employee to fire or complaining about your boss or… well, causing massive traffic gridlock out of spite.

The company is being led by Jon Brod, a former senior AOL (AOL) executive who stepped down early last month. His fellow co-founders are Yext co-founders Howard Lerman (chairman) and Dan Sutera (COO). The trio bootstrapped Confide for its launch, although they plan to raise venture capital funding within the next several months.

Sign up for Dan Primack’s daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in

PoliticsVenezuela
Trump snatches Maduro but leaves his regime in charge for now
By Catherine Lucey, Eric Martin, Jamie Tarabay and BloombergJanuary 3, 2026
4 hours ago
María Corina Machado
PoliticsFortune Global Forum
Before Maduro arrest, Nobel Prize winner said Venezuela has a $1.7 trillion opportunity to privatize over 500 companies and undo socialist ‘disaster’
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 3, 2026
4 hours ago
PoliticsVenezuela
Deploying U.S. troops in Venezuela could become a ‘force protection nightmare’ amid potential insurgency threat, retired colonel warns
By Jason MaJanuary 3, 2026
6 hours ago
AsiaTariffs and trade
Countries must move beyond seeing AI as a race, where one side must beat the other
By Boris Babic and Brian WongJanuary 3, 2026
6 hours ago
PoliticsVenezuela
Trump seeks to make Venezuela great again and revive its oil-based economy while affordability crisis lingers in the U.S.
By Jason MaJanuary 3, 2026
7 hours ago
PoliticsVenezuela
Maduro’s deputy demands his release after U.S. arrest as Venezuelans wonder who’s in charge
By Isabel Debre, Joshua Goodman and The Associated PressJanuary 3, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
CEO of $90 billion Waste Management hauled trash and went to 1 a.m. safety briefings—‘It’s not always just dollars and cents’
By Amanda GerutJanuary 3, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Marriott’s CEO spoke out about DEI. The next day, he had 40,000 emails from his associates
By Ashley LutzJanuary 1, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Bank of America CEO says he hired 2,000 recent Gen Z grads from 200,000 applications, and many are scared about the future
By Ashley LutzJanuary 3, 2026
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Melinda French Gates got her start at Microsoft because an IBM hiring manager told her to turn down its job offer—'It dumbfounded me'
By Emma BurleighDecember 31, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Exiting CEO left each employee at his family-owned company a $443,000 gift—but they have to stay 5 more years to get all of it
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 30, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Trump makes it clear shocking Venezuelan regime change is largely about oil: ‘They stole our oil … We’re going to make a lot of money’
By Jordan BlumJanuary 3, 2026
11 hours ago