Sam Altman Clearly Freaked Out by Reaction to News of OpenAI Silencing Former Employees

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the recent challenges faced by OpenAI, including the controversial comparisons made by CEO Sam Altman, the departures of high-powered researchers, and the company's use of non-disclosure agreements for departing employees.

🙋 Q&A

[01] OpenAI's Challenges

1. What were the key challenges faced by OpenAI this week?

• OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman made an unforced error by comparing the upcoming ChatGPT 4o to the dark 2013 romance film "Her", leading to negative headlines.
• Two high-powered researchers left the company, with one harshly criticizing OpenAI's purported lack of commitment to controlling any future superintelligent AI.
• OpenAI was reported to have a draconian non-disclosure agreement for departing employees, which stipulated that they could never criticize the company in the future.

2. How did OpenAI respond to the criticism?

• OpenAI's leadership, particularly CEO Sam Altman, went into damage control mode.
• Altman stated that OpenAI has never clawed back anyone's vested equity and that the company is in the process of fixing the standard exit paperwork.
• OpenAI president Greg Brockman published a lengthy response, stating that the company needs to have a tight feedback loop, rigorous testing, and collaboration with governments and stakeholders on safety.

3. What is the key question remaining about OpenAI's response?

• It's unclear whether Altman and Brockman are saying that former employees can now speak out about the company's approach to hot-button issues, or if they are just trying to defuse the outrage before continuing to try to keep ex-workers quiet.