I am really at a loss right now. I worked for a startup for two years and put my heart and soul into helping build the company as a senior manager.
I ended up quiting about 2 months ago to focus on relaxing during the holidays and spending time with my family (did not take a vacation) before seeking a less intense position.
Some old members of my team have come forward to inform me that their was a set of data breaches on the platform and the internal answer was to not announce it and put the blame on me. From what I am told their is no prooof other then a geo location that points to where I (and multiple other employees) live.
I reached out to the CEO and basically the first question whas who was it to leak this and then basicly a statement that the company did not accuse me of anything and there is nothing that can be done about the gossip. When I left the company I took every precaution to revoke my credentials and return my equipment promptly. I now know I can not use anyone at my current employer as a reference and feel these false accusation will greatly damage my future employment opportunities. I am currently have meetings with attorneys on how to protect myself but figured I ask the community if anyone has ever gone though this.
It can actually be a good filter, prospect-wise: a company that does gossip about/blame an ex-employee for some of their failures is advertising their own lack of agency.
If they were smart, they wouldn't gossip, and not even let the gossip go. That's very bad strategy, both internally and externally.
If they're not, well, I can't tell you what to do.
What happened to me:
1. first I spent several horrible months expecting my whole career to be over;
2. until I realized my ex-employer and its own reputation in the field was totally irrelevant and could not harm much my reputation (or better yet, act as a useful filter);
3. when looking for employment, when relevant, I explicitly mentioned this experience and what came with it, and what I was then looking for in a new company/position/team, so that I was the first to pitch what did happen and how I reacted to it.
It served me well. Those that listened to my story and took the time to understand it turned out to be great teams to work with. Those that dismissed me on the spot, well... I can't say really - but what I heard of afterwise from ex-employees was kind of reminiscent. :)