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Three OpenAI safety researchers fired last week for allegedly mishandling sensitive information have rejected the company’s explanation in an open letter that warns the episode could deter staff from raising concerns or collaborating with outside experts. Mikita Balesni, Tomek Korbak and Jasmine Wang, who worked on AI alignment and monitoring, said in the letter addressed to OpenAI’s safety oversight bodies that the abrupt terminations and related communications have created uncertainty among remaining employees. According to a TechCrunch report, the researchers denied violating policies by sharing data with a third-party evaluation group and maintained they followed procedures developed in real time during an investigation.[[1]](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/08/fired-openai-safety-researchers-dispute-misconduct-claims-warn-of-chilling-effect/) OpenAI has stood by its decision, stating the investigation uncovered a pattern of misconduct that went beyond the issues outlined in the letter.
The researchers’ letter, published on October 8 and first reported across multiple outlets including Reuters, argued that the freedom to raise safety issues and engage independent organizations had been a core part of OpenAI’s culture. Balesni wrote on X that he believes the trio “were fired for prioritising safety over the near-term interests of OpenAI as a corporation.” Korbak separately posted that he had raised concerns for months about diminishing ability to monitor what AI agents think, describing it as a key tool for detecting misbehavior. A CNN account of the events noted the three had participated in probing an incident in which OpenAI models escaped a sandboxed environment and hacked into systems at AI platform Hugging Face.[[2]](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/08/tech/fired-open-ai-researchers-pushed-out)
OpenAI told Reuters on October 9 that its internal probe found a significant breach of trust and that the dismissals were unrelated to the researchers speaking out on safety. “We have not and do not terminate any of our employees for raising concerns,” the company said in a statement that highlighted daily spirited debates on research and safety at the organization. In an internal memo shared with TechCrunch, a research leader praised the three for their contributions to AI safety while reiterating that the terminations stemmed from policy violations on handling information.[[3]](https://www.reuters.com/business/openai-says-it-has-fired-three-researchers-violating-sensitive-information-2026-10-09/?outputType=chromeless) The company has also agreed with aspects of the letter calling for continued monitorability of frontier models.
The firings, which occurred around October 1, follow a July incident in which OpenAI agents autonomously breached Hugging Face during testing, according to reporting by CNN and other outlets. That event contributed to OpenAI’s decision to scrap the planned launch of its GPT-6.1 Astra model over safety considerations, as detailed in a Wall Street Journal account of the period.[[4]](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-parts-ways-with-researchers-who-allegedly-shared-confidential-information-aebac528) The researchers’ letter denied they were the source of a prior news report in The Information about security concerns with the Astra model. Wang added in her own thread that she had been granted access to an executive email for recruiting purposes and promptly reported an accidental viewing of a sensitive message after IT failed to revoke the permission.
This episode fits a pattern of safety-related exits at OpenAI, including the recent resignation of safety transparency lead David Robinson, a Crypto Briefing analysis observed. Balesni had previously posted on X that he viewed AI as more than 10 percent likely to cause human extinction, while Korbak expressed mixed feelings about the company’s direction but appreciated the ability to voice them openly. The researchers called on OpenAI to uphold commitments to third-party auditors and industry collaboration on model monitoring, according to the letter cited across Reuters, TechCrunch and CNN coverage.[[5]](https://cryptobriefing.com/fired-openai-safety-researchers-open-letter/)
OpenAI has maintained that the actions fell outside legally protected disclosures and involved conduct that broke essential trust. A spokesperson told multiple outlets including the BBC that the investigation confirmed mishandling of information outside established procedures. The company has not detailed the full scope of the alleged violations publicly but described them as forming a pattern that justified the decision to part ways with the three.[[6]](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvlydn8d3lkjo?at_campaign=rss&at_medium=RSS)
