RecentlyOpenAIIn the case of the resignation ofSam AltmanConcerns have been expressed over a controversial clause in the company’s exit agreement which suggests that equity stakes may be cancelled.
Altman stressed that OpenAI has never used this clause and guaranteed that vested equity will not be affected by any separation agreement or non-disparagement agreement.
Altman stressed that this clause in the previous exit document was wrong and should not exist.
“I take full responsibility for this, and it’s one of the very rare embarrassing moments in my time running OpenAI; I had no idea this was happening, and I should have known,” Altman said.
He told former employees that any concerns they had about the clause could be addressed directly to him to have it rectified.
The stock cancellation clause raised many questions about its purpose and potential abuse. Altman acknowledged the mistake and said the company has been changing its standard separation documents for a month to avoid such problems in the future.
Employee resignations and safety concerns Altman’s clarification comes after a series of resignations, including that of Jan Leike, who was in charge of alignment. Leike announced his resignation on May 17, citing OpenAI’s focus on product development rather than AI safety as one of the main reasons for his resignation.
His resignation follows the departure of Ilya Sutskever, one of the co-founders of OpenAI and a leading figure in AI research.
The departures put a spotlight on OpenAI’s internal strategy and priorities. The organization has been accused by critics of not paying enough attention to problems with advanced AI systems. In addition, OpenAI earlier disbanded the “super alignment” team and implemented it into the company’s other research projects.
OpenAI's Commitment to AI Safety Despite the reorganization, OpenAI remains committed to AI safety. Altman and President Greg Brockman reiterated the importance of continued safety research. In a recent statement, Brockman thanked the departing employees and assured that the company will continue to rigorously approach safety issues.
Brockman highlighted OpenAI’s efforts to raise awareness of the risks and opportunities of AGI (artificial general intelligence), advocate for international governance, and pioneer AI safety research.
He acknowledged that the path to safely developing and deploying AGI involves complex and unprecedented challenges, requiring continuous improvement in safety measures and oversight.