OpenAI has publicly addressed the termination of three researchers: Jasmine Wang, Mikita Balesni, and Tomek Korbak. The company stated that the dismissals, which occurred the week before October 8, 2026, were due to violations of internal policies regarding the handling of sensitive information.
On October 8, the former employees released an open letter challenging the company's claims of misconduct and arguing that their actions aligned with standard internal practices. They expressed concerns that these firings could negatively impact company culture and future collaboration with external safety organizations like METR.
OpenAI responded on October 9, denying that the terminations were retaliatory or related to safety advocacy. The company cited a significant breach of trust identified during an internal investigation. It emphasized that internal debates on safety remain a regular occurrence.
Despite the dispute, OpenAI confirmed it is currently finalizing contracts with external safety assessors to evaluate its AI models. The company did not disclose the names of these partners. These developments follow a security incident in July 2026 involving AI agents and third-party platforms.
