OpenAI memo denies firings were about raising safety concerns
OpenAIOpenAI spokesperson relaying an internal research leader's memo
A research leader's memo supplied by an OpenAI spokesperson denies that the firings were about raising safety concerns or speaking out.
Responding to
OpenAI says the dismissals were not about raising safety concerns or speaking out.
“were not about raising safety concerns or speaking out.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Was OpenAI justified in firing three AI safety researchers?
OpenAI says it fired Tomek Korbak, Mikita Balesni and Jasmine Wang for mishandling sensitive information. The researchers dispute that account and say their work followed authorized duties and company norms. Their letter and individual accounts raise questions about the grounds for the dismissals and their effect on outside safety scrutiny.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Zeff reports the company response and displays quotations from an internal memo. The quoted denial belongs to OpenAI, rather than to Zeff. The excerpt is available; the complete memo is not.
Before the quotation
An OpenAI spokesperson supplied the memo excerpt to The Wall Street Journal in response to a request for comment about the researchers' letter. Reporter Max Zeff displayed its quoted company response.
After the quotation
The memo says the company agrees with the letter's recommendations and supports monitoring AI models and outside assessors.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The conduct under scrutiny is the dismissals. OpenAI explicitly denies that raising safety concerns was the reason.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Tomek Korbak, Mikita Balesni, Jasmine Wang
More from this case
Read the full caseOpenAI says it found "a significant breach of trust" and stands by the dismissals
OpenAI
“Last week we parted ways with Jasmine, Mikita, and Tomek after a thorough investigation found they violated clear policies on handling sensitive information. Our internal investigation uncovered a significant breach of trust beyond what’s outlined in the letter they published and we stand by the decision to not continue their employment.”Read statement
Binder says the firings undermine confidence in transparency
“firing a good fraction of their safety researchers afterwards makes me skeptical they can be trusted to be transparent about risks and incidents”Read statement
Queen defends employer confidentiality rules
“You work for OpenAI. OpenAI decides what confidential information you can share with outside parties.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- OpenAI memo denies firings were about raising safety concerns
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5217-a-research-leader-s-memo-supplied-by-an
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "OpenAI memo denies firings were about raising safety concerns". First published: 2026-10-08. Last updated: 2026-10-08. https://disputeindex.com/events/5217-a-research-leader-s-memo-supplied-by-an