Sam Altman—Altman signed documents authorizing equity clawback for departing employees who refused non-disparagement agreements
In May 2024, it was revealed that OpenAI used restrictive offboarding agreements that threatened to claw back departing employees' vested equity if they refused to sign lifetime non-disparagement clauses. Altman initially claimed ignorance, stating 'I did not know this was happening and I should have.' However, leaked incorporation documents from April 2023 bearing Altman's signature explicitly authorized the equity clawback provisions, contradicting his denial. Former researcher Daniel Kokotajlo forfeited approximately $2 million in equity rather than sign. OpenAI subsequently confirmed it would no longer enforce these provisions.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Whistleblower Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.745 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Vox reported OpenAI used lifetime non-disparagement clauses with equity clawback; leaked documents showed Altman signed authorizing provisions
Vox reported in May 2024 that OpenAI used extremely restrictive offboarding agreements forbidding former employees from ever criticizing the company, with violations resulting in loss of vested equity. Altman initially denied knowledge, but leaked incorporation documents from April 2023 bearing his signature explicitly authorized the provisions. Former researcher Daniel Kokotajlo forfeited approximately $2 million in equity rather than sign.
OpenAI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo forfeited ~$2M in equity rather than sign non-disparagement agreement
Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI governance researcher, resigned in 2024 and publicly refused to sign the non-disparagement clause, forfeiting approximately $2 million in vested equity. He stated: 'I lost hope that they would act responsibly, particularly as they pursue artificial general intelligence.' He subsequently co-founded the AI Futures Project and was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI.