OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly apologized for a controversial provision in the company’s exit documents that threatened to withhold equity from departing employees if they refused to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). The revelation follows a series of high-profile resignations from the AI giant, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever and AI security team leader Jan Leike.
According to a report by Vox, the controversial exit document required departing employees to sign NDAs or risk losing “all of the equity they’ve earned while working at the company, which is likely worth millions of dollars.” The provision sparked outrage and accusations of coercion, with critics arguing it was an attempt to silence potential dissent.
In response to the controversy on social media, Altman confirmed the existence of the capital withdrawal provision, but stressed that the company had never enforced it. “We have never taken away anyone’s acquired capital and we will not do so unless people sign a separation agreement (or agree to a non-disparagement agreement),” he wrote. “Acquired capital is acquired capital, period.”
Altman also expressed embarrassment over the situation, claiming he was previously unaware of the provision’s existence. “It’s my fault, and it’s one of the few times I’ve ever felt truly embarrassed while working with OpenAI. I didn’t know something like this was happening, and I should have,” he admitted. The CEO then revealed that the company had already begun the process of reviewing standard exit documents over the past month.
Despite Altman’s claims, at least one former OpenAI employee, Daniel Kokotajlo, has spoken publicly about the personal costs of refusing to sign an NDA after leaving the company. In an online post, Kokotajlo said his decision resulted in a loss of equity of “at least approximately 85 percent of my family’s net worth.”
The controversy has cast a shadow over OpenAI’s commitment to transparency and ethical AI development, especially in lightweight of recent dispositions by its AI safety team. Altman pledged to address the concerns of former employees affected by the equity return provision, stating: “If any former employees who signed one of these elderly contracts are concerned about it, they can contact me and we’ll fix it too.”
According to a report by Vox, the controversial exit document required departing employees to sign NDAs or risk losing “all of the equity they’ve earned while working at the company, which is likely worth millions of dollars.” The provision sparked outrage and accusations of coercion, with critics arguing it was an attempt to silence potential dissent.
In response to the controversy on social media, Altman confirmed the existence of the capital withdrawal provision, but stressed that the company had never enforced it. “We have never taken away anyone’s acquired capital and we will not do so unless people sign a separation agreement (or agree to a non-disparagement agreement),” he wrote. “Acquired capital is acquired capital, period.”
Altman also expressed embarrassment over the situation, claiming he was previously unaware of the provision’s existence. “It’s my fault, and it’s one of the few times I’ve ever felt truly embarrassed while working with OpenAI. I didn’t know something like this was happening, and I should have,” he admitted. The CEO then revealed that the company had already begun the process of reviewing standard exit documents over the past month.
Despite Altman’s claims, at least one former OpenAI employee, Daniel Kokotajlo, has spoken publicly about the personal costs of refusing to sign an NDA after leaving the company. In an online post, Kokotajlo said his decision resulted in a loss of equity of “at least approximately 85 percent of my family’s net worth.”
The controversy has cast a shadow over OpenAI’s commitment to transparency and ethical AI development, especially in lightweight of recent dispositions by its AI safety team. Altman pledged to address the concerns of former employees affected by the equity return provision, stating: “If any former employees who signed one of these elderly contracts are concerned about it, they can contact me and we’ll fix it too.”
