OpenAI responds to security researcher's departure: Cites violation of sensitive information, not targeting those who raised security concerns.

Beating AI Express: OpenAI’s research chief has issued a statement responding to an open letter from three former employees—Jasmine, Mikita, and Tomek. The company said that following a full investigation, the three violated explicit sensitive information handling policies, and the internal probe uncovered serious breaches of trust that went beyond what was disclosed in the open letter. As a result, OpenAI terminated their employment last week and is standing by this decision. OpenAI emphasized that the decision was not targeted at employees raising safety concerns or expressing opinions publicly. The company added that it holds intense, critical safety and research discussions internally every day, encourages staff to raise questions, is tolerant of good-faith mistakes, and will not fire employees for voicing concerns. Regarding the safety issues covered in the open letter, OpenAI stated it is finalizing a contract with a third-party security assessment firm, expects to release details in the coming weeks, and commits to integrating external assessors into its safety work. The company also acknowledged that maintaining the monitorability of frontier models requires joint efforts from the entire industry, noting that this area has long been a core research focus for OpenAI and it will continue to invest significant resources in this field.