Piper says OpenAI safety researcher firings look incredibly bad
Kelsey PiperJournalist at The Argument
Piper describes new information about the firings as incredibly bad and argues that firing researchers for communication with assigned investigators would be outrageous.
“OpenAI's firing of safety researchers. That information is in, and it looks incredibly bad.”
Original post
Original post
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
Piper describes moving from waiting for more information to criticizing the firings after reading Korbak's account.
Original post
About this source
Piper says firing for communication outside job duties would be a different matter. Her criticism concerns the possibility that researchers were fired for doing their assigned work.
Original post
About this source
Piper discusses her concern about the company's treatment of outside scrutiny.
Before the quotation
Piper says she had previously urged waiting for more information about the dismissals.
After the quotation
She says disclosures outside job duties would be different, but firing people for communication with assigned investigators would be outrageous.
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 firings. Piper's thread evaluates them negatively, while distinguishing a hypothetical unauthorized disclosure from assigned work.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- OpenAI
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
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Piper says OpenAI safety researcher firings look incredibly bad
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/5221-piper-describes-new-information-about-the-firings-as
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Piper says OpenAI safety researcher firings look incredibly bad". First published: 2026-10-08. Last updated: 2026-10-08. https://disputeindex.com/events/5221-piper-describes-new-information-about-the-firings-as