Sébastien Bubeck denies OpenAI's authorship talks with Alpöge were closed
Sébastien BubeckOpenAI participant replying directly to Alpöge
Rejects Alpöge's description of closed negotiations and says the team was willing to keep discussing alternatives.
Responding to
Alpöge says his exclusion appeared to be a settled condition of the proposed collaboration.
“nothing at all was locked”
Original post

Where this statement fits
Did OpenAI improperly pressure mathematicians over authorship and credit?
Tristan Buckmaster describes pressure over authorship and publication during discussions about competing AI-assisted mathematics results. Sébastien Bubeck disputes that characterization and says the proposed authorship concerned OpenAI's own proof. His apology for career-related wording does not settle the disagreement. Researchers and commentators divide over whether the negotiations were appropriate, while raising a separate dispute about the treatment of unpublished user research.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Direct reply to Alpöge; says negotiations remained open and further discussions were possible.
Before the quotation
Alpöge says the conversation made him believe the terms were settled.
After the quotation
This reply does not resolve the disagreement about whether the proposed exclusion was appropriate.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Direct denial of the characterization that the outcome was predetermined.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Levent Alpöge
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- Sébastien Bubeck denies OpenAI's authorship talks with Alpöge were closed
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The Dispute Index. "Sébastien Bubeck denies OpenAI's authorship talks with Alpöge were closed". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/288-rejects-alp%C3%B6ge-s-description-of-closed-negotiations-and