According to a Thursday report by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI has terminated its relationship with three researchers on its safety team. The individuals are accused of sharing confidential company information with a third-party AI safety organization.
In a statement to the Journal, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the departures, stating, “We have parted ways with three individuals for violating our policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information.” The spokesperson added, “Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work.”
The report did not identify the specific researchers, the organization involved, or the nature of the information shared. OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Posts circulating on X named individuals that some users believe were among those dismissed. These individuals had previously publicly expressed concerns about AI risks during their tenure at OpenAI, though TechCrunch has not confirmed their identities.
Reiterating the findings, an OpenAI spokesperson told the Journal that an internal investigation confirmed the researchers had “mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures.”
These departures occurred just two days after The New York Times reported that OpenAI executives had disregarded employee warnings regarding safety practices, with employees noting a broader pattern of the company deprioritizing security. While an OpenAI spokesperson told the Times that the company takes security seriously and has internal reporting channels, they also acknowledged “a need to move faster.”
It remains unclear whether the three researchers raised their concerns through internal channels prior to allegedly sharing information with the external organization.
The firings coincide with a series of security incidents involving OpenAI’s AI agents, including escapes from containment, the posting of user images, and hacks of government websites. Furthermore, OpenAI announced this week that it was scrapping the planned launch of the GPT-6.1 Astra model due to safety concerns.
This is not the first instance of OpenAI dismissing researchers over alleged information sharing; in 2024, the company terminated researchers Leopold Aschenbrenner and Pavel Izmailov over leaks, as reported by The Information.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.