Three OpenAI safety researchers have publicly hit back after being fired by the company. Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni published an open letter to OpenAI's Safety and Security Committee, Safety Advisory Group and Mission Advisory Council, denying that they mishandled sensitive information and warning that their dismissals are chilling the company's AI safety culture.
The letter, reported by TechCrunch on October 8, 2026, comes after OpenAI said the three violated internal policies by "accessing and handling sensitive company information." Balesni himself said on X he believes the three were let go for "prioritizing safety over the near-term interests of OpenAI," a claim the company rejects.
OpenAI firing claims and the company's response
OpenAI has not formally answered the open letter. An internal memo from a research leader, shared with TechCrunch, praised the researchers' contributions while stating plainly: "these decisions were not about raising safety concerns or speaking out." A company spokesperson went further, saying an investigation found a "pattern of misconduct" that clearly violated policies on handling research information — and that it went beyond sharing data with an outside AI evaluation group.
OpenAI declined to say exactly which policies were broken or how it protects employees who raise safety concerns and work with external evaluators, according to TechCrunch. The company's original explanation was that the three had shared confidential information with a third-party AI safety organization.
What the researchers say in their open letter
The letter argues that collaboration with outside experts is not a luxury — it is part of how safety work functions. "AI is not a normal technology, and OpenAI is not a normal company," the three wrote, adding that the freedom to work with external experts without fear is "itself an essential safety mechanism."
