Sam Altman defends OpenAI's proposed publication arrangements
Sam AltmanOpenAI leader who says he spent the weekend speaking with the team
Defends the team's conduct and says it sought coordinated publication and optional authorship. Read Sam Altman's defense of OpenAI alongside the competing accounts of the mathematics discussions.
Responding to
OpenAI improperly pressured the researchers over authorship and publication of the mathematical results.
“acted with integrity and generosity throughout”
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divide over whether the negotiations were appropriate, while raising a separate dispute about the treatment of unpublished user research.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
Altman says he spoke with the team over the weekend and defends its conduct. His role makes this an interested defense, not an independent witness to every call.
Before the quotation
Responds alongside Bubeck's detailed account.
After the quotation
Acknowledges difficulty offering the same arrangement to an Anthropic employee, while saying alternatives remained open.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Explicit interested defense of the company's intentions and actions.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- OpenAI, Sébastien Bubeck
More from this case
Read the full caseAGMAI calls OpenAI's release a first step, not an endorsement
Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence
“AGMAI’s advisory role should not be interpreted as a judgment of the impact of these results or an endorsement of the process by which OpenAI obtained them.”Read statement
OpenAI describes steps to improve mathematical disclosures
OpenAI
“We will continue to act on feedback from the community and update our standards for future disclosures of major scientific advancements.”Read statement
AGMAI opposes using mathematical releases as marketing
Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence
“We strongly recommend that AI labs refrain from treating the release of mathematical results as marketing vehicles to promote their models”Read statement
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- Sam Altman defends OpenAI's proposed publication arrangements
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The Dispute Index. "Sam Altman defends OpenAI's proposed publication arrangements". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/289-defends-the-team-s-conduct-and-says-it