OpenAI has parted ways with three members of its safety team, saying they broke company rules on handling confidential material. The Wall Street Journal reported it on 1 October. The researchers allegedly gave information to an outside AI safety organization. Neither the people, the group, nor the material has been identified.
An OpenAI spokesperson told the Journal an investigation found the three “mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures.” TechCrunch says it is unclear whether they first raised concerns internally. Posts on X name people some users suspect were among them, but TechCrunch has not confirmed those identities.
The timing is awkward. Two days earlier, The New York Times reported that executives had brushed aside employee warnings about safety practices. OpenAI told the Times it recognized “a need to move faster.” This week the company also scrapped the planned GPT-6.1 Astra launch over safety concerns.
Parting with safety staff for going outside the building looks different when staff say the inside was not listening. OpenAI has not said what the three shared, so the fairness of the dismissals cannot be judged. Safety researchers weighing any lab will read this as a test of where a concern may go.
Reported by TechCrunch on 1 October 2026, citing The Wall Street Journal.
