On October 8, 2026, TechCrunch reported that three former OpenAI safety researchers, Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni, published an open letter disputing the company’s claims that they mishandled sensitive information. The researchers argued that their dismissals are making remaining employees afraid to speak up or work with outside experts. OpenAI has not formally responded to the letter, though an internal memo shared with TechCrunch denies the firings were retaliatory, and a company spokesperson cited a “pattern of misconduct.”
