OpenAI—OpenAI fired three AI safety researchers over handling of sensitive information; researchers dispute misconduct and warn of chilling effect
On October 1, 2026, OpenAI confirmed it had 'parted ways' with three researchers - Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni - for allegedly violating policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information, including communicating with outside AI-safety evaluators (including METR) about a Hugging Face sandbox-breach incident and about model monitorability. All three published a joint open letter denying misconduct, saying they acted in good faith, coordinated with their reporting lines, and in Balesni's case with OpenAI board members and executives, and warning the firings create a 'chilling effect' discouraging colleagues from raising safety concerns or working with outside safety groups. An internal OpenAI memo denied the firings were retaliation for raising safety concerns.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Safety | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Whistleblower Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.664 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (2 signals)
TechCrunch: fired researchers' open letter disputes misconduct claims, warns of chilling effect
TechCrunch reported on the fired researchers' joint open letter to OpenAI's Safety and Security Committee, Safety Advisory Group, and Mission Advisory Council, in which they denied misconduct and warned the firings would discourage colleagues from raising safety concerns.
WSJ: OpenAI parts ways with three researchers over alleged sharing of confidential information
The Wall Street Journal first reported, and OpenAI confirmed, that it terminated Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni for violating policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information, including contact with outside AI-safety organizations.