Nate Soares questions firing researchers over disappearing messages
Nate SoaresAI researcher and MIRI president, in a public post
Soares criticizes what he reads as dismissals over disappearing messages without a prior warning against using them.
“they were just fired without warning after the fact. Seems bad.”
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
Soares conditionally criticizes firing employees without warning over disappearing messages.
Before the quotation
He frames his account twice with the words It sounds like, preserving uncertainty about the reported grounds.
After the quotation
He says it sounds as though the researchers were not told to stop using disappearing messages.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
His criticism depends on the reported grounds and his understanding that no warning was given.
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More from this case
Read the full caseZvi Mowshowitz criticizes the decision while disputing a retaliation motive
“this was at best a huge unforced error”Read statement
OpenAI 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
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- Nate Soares questions firing researchers over disappearing messages
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The Dispute Index. "Nate Soares questions firing researchers over disappearing messages". First published: 2026-11-06. Last updated: 2026-11-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/8257-soares-criticizes-what-he-reads-as-dismissals-over