Allegations of Misconducts at OpenAI

My initial prediction was that Sam and Greg would return to OpenAI[1], but then Microsoft announced that they had acquired them, which made me think that the matter had been resolved. However, things escalated further, with over 700 OpenAI employees signing a joint letter demanding the reinstatement of Sam as CEO and the dissolution of the current board.

The latest news is that Sam is now in negotiations with the board again to discuss the possibility of his return to OpenAI, with Adam (the Qura CEO, who has been increasingly accused of being the mastermind behind this internal conflict) and Emmett Shear (former Twitch CEO) serving as interim CEO, brought in by the board.

So it seems that my previous prediction still has a chance of coming true. Looks like this drama will continue.

However, today the most-discussed revelation is about the dark secrets of Sam and Greg during their time at the company.

This revelation was sent by a former OpenAI employee to Musk, who then reposted it. The original post is now a 404, but someone has made a backup[2].

The letter mainly targets Sam and Greg, exposing some of their inappropriate behavior at the company. For example (the following content is machine-translated):

• Sam instructed researchers to delay reporting progress on specific “secret” research projects, which were later canceled because they didn’t provide results quickly enough. Those who questioned this practice were deemed “not fitting the culture” and even fired.
• Greg used discriminatory language towards members of the transgender team. Despite many promises to address this issue, no meaningful action was taken, other than Greg simply avoiding all communication with the affected individuals, effectively creating a hostile work environment. The team members were eventually fired for alleged poor performance.
• Sam instructed IT and operations staff to investigate employees, including Ilya, without the knowledge or consent of the management.
• Sam cautiously but routinely used OpenAI’s nonprofit resources to further his personal goals, particularly his animosity towards Elon (so, Musk, is this why you reposted it?).
• The operations team defaulted to special rules applicable to Greg, accommodating complex demands to avoid being blacklisted.

Here is the full text:

To the OpenAI Board:

We are writing to you today to express our deep concerns over recent events at OpenAI, specifically the allegations of misconduct by Sam Altman.

We are former employees of OpenAI who left the company during a period of significant turmoil. As you are witnessing now, you may understand why many of us stayed silent out of fear of consequences when you dare to stand up against Sam Altman. We can’t remain silent any longer.

We believe it is the board’s responsibility to thoroughly investigate these allegations and take appropriate action. We urge you to expand the scope of Emmett’s investigation to include Sam Altman’s conduct since August 2018 when OpenAI began its transition from a nonprofit entity to a for-profit one.

Publicly call for private statements from former OpenAI employees who resigned, took leave, or were terminated during this period. Protect the identities of those who come forward to ensure they are not subjected to retaliation or any other form of harm.

We believe that a large number of OpenAI employees were pushed out of the company to facilitate the transition to a for-profit model. The fact that OpenAI’s employee attrition rate was around 50% from January 2018 to July 2020 is evidence of this.

Throughout our time at OpenAI, we witnessed disturbing patterns of deception and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, driven by their relentless pursuit of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, their methods have raised serious doubts about their true intentions and the extent to which they genuinely prioritize the interests of all humanity.

Many of us initially joined OpenAI with hope for its mission, choosing to benefit Sam and Greg from the benefit of the doubt. However, as their behavior became increasingly concerning, those who dared to express their concerns were silenced or expelled. This systemic silence in the face of dissent created an environment of fear and intimidation, effectively stifling meaningful discussions about the ethical impact of OpenAI’s work.

We provide specific examples of Sam and Greg’s dishonesty and manipulation, including:

Sam instructing researchers to delay reporting progress on specific “secret” research projects, which were later canceled because they didn’t produce results quickly enough. Those who questioned this practice were branded as “not fitting the culture” and even fired, with some being fired just before Thanksgiving 2019.

Greg using discriminatory language towards members of the gender transition team. While there were many promises to address this issue, no meaningful action was taken except for Greg simply avoiding all communication with the affected individuals, effectively creating a hostile work environment. The team members were eventually fired for alleged poor performance.

Sam instructing IT and operations staff to investigate employees, including Ilya, without the knowledge or agreement of the management.

Sam cautiously and routinely using OpenAI’s nonprofit resources to further his personal goals, particularly harboring resentment towards Elon after their fallout.

The operations team applying special rules for Greg, accommodating complex demands to avoid being blacklisted.

Brad Lightcap’s unfulfilled promises are public evidence outlining OpenAI’s cap on profits, including the maximum profits for each investor.

Sam’s inconsistent promises regarding the computational quota research project sparked internal mistrust and unrest.

Despite mounting evidence of unlawful conduct by Sam and Greg, those who stayed in OpenAI continued to blindly follow their lead, even at great personal cost. This unwavering loyalty stems from fear of retaliation and the temptation of potential financial gains through participation in OpenAI’s profit-sharing divisions.

The governance structure of OpenAI, specifically designed by Sam and Greg, intentionally isolates employees from overseeing the for-profit operations due to inherent conflicts of interest. This opaque structure allows Sam and Greg to evade accountability.

We urge the OpenAI Board to take a firm stance against these unethical behaviors and initiate an independent investigation into the actions of Sam and Greg. We believe that the mission of OpenAI is too important to be influenced by the personal agendas of a few individuals.

We implore the board to remain steadfast in the original mission of OpenAI and not succumb to profit-driven interests. The future of AI and the well-being of humanity depend on your commitment to ethical leadership and transparency.

Sincerely, Concerned Former OpenAI Employees

PS. Just as OpenAI is in such chaos, they announced today that they have opened up the voice-chat feature to all regular users, and Greg also reposted this news.

Despite the chaos, it seems that things are still running smoothly, and it won’t affect everyone’s use of ChatGPT.

Latest news: Ultraman remains CEO, OpenAI’s annual drama “OpenAI of Thrones” concludes.

Latest News: Ultraman continues as CEO, and the finale of OpenAI’s annual epic “OpenAI of Thrones” has concluded

The latest news reveals that Ultraman remains as the CEO, and the highly anticipated conclusion of OpenAI’s annual epic “OpenAI of Thrones” has come to an end.

Allegations against OpenAI and Sam Altman lack evidence; OpenAI’s future depends on negotiations with Sam and the board, not these reports.

Musk is currently active in following the events closely:

But overall, it feels like there isn’t any solid evidence to support the allegations, and it seems more like a personal attack.

The initial sources [1] and Gist backup [2] have both become invalid, so I will translate the backup of the backup [3] (with GPT translation):

11/21/2023

To the Board of Directors of OpenAI:

We are writing to you today to express our deep concern about the recent events at OpenAI, particularly the allegations of misconduct against Sam Altman.

We are former OpenAI employees who left the company during a period of significant turmoil and upheaval. As you have now witnessed what happens when you dare stand up to Sam Altman, perhaps you can understand why so many of us have remained silent for fear of repercussions. We can no longer stand by silently.

We believe that the Board of Directors has a duty to investigate these allegations thoroughly and take appropriate action. We urge you to:

Expand the scope of Emmett’s investigation to include an examination of Sam Altman’s actions since August 2018, when OpenAI began transitioning from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.

Issue an open call for private statements from former OpenAI employees who resigned, were placed on medical leave, or were terminated during this period.

Protect the identities of those who come forward to ensure that they are not subjected to retaliation or other forms of harm.

We believe that a significant number of OpenAI employees were pushed out of the company to facilitate its transition to a for-profit model. This is evidenced by the fact that OpenAI’s employee attrition rate between January 2018 and July 2020 was in the order of 50%.

Throughout our time at OpenAI, we witnessed a disturbing pattern of deceit and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, driven by their insatiable pursuit of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Their methods, however, have raised serious doubts about their true intentions and the extent to which they genuinely prioritize the benefit of all humanity.

Many of us, initially hopeful about OpenAI’s mission, chose to give Sam and Greg the benefit of the doubt. However, as their actions became increasingly concerning, those who dared to voice their concerns were silenced or pushed out. This systematic silencing of dissent created an environment of fear and intimidation, effectively stifling any meaningful discussion about the ethical implications of OpenAI’s work.

We provide concrete examples of Sam and Greg’s dishonesty & manipulation including:

Sam’s demand for researchers to delay reporting progress on specific “secret” research initiatives, which were later dismantled for failing to deliver sufficient results quickly enough. Those who questioned this practice were dismissed as “bad culture fits” and even terminated, some just before Thanksgiving 2019.

Greg’s use of discriminatory language against a gender-transitioning team member. Despite many promises to address this issue, no meaningful action was taken, except for Greg simply avoiding all communication with the affected individual, effectively creating a hostile work environment. This team member was eventually terminated for alleged under-performance.

Sam directing IT and Operations staff to conduct investigations into employees, including Ilya, without the knowledge or consent of management.

Sam’s discreet, yet routine exploitation of OpenAI’s non-profit resources to advance his personal goals, particularly motivated by his grudge against Elon following their falling out.

The Operations team’s tacit acceptance of the special rules that applied to Greg, navigating intricate requirements to avoid being blacklisted.

Brad Lightcap’s unfulfilled promise to make public the documents detailing OpenAI’s capped-profit structure and the profit cap for each investor.

Sam’s incongruent promises to research projects for compute quotas, causing internal distrust and infighting.

Despite the mounting evidence of Sam and Greg’s transgressions, those who remain at OpenAI continue to blindly follow their leadership, even at significant personal cost. This unwavering loyalty stems from a combination of fear of retribution and the allure of potential financial gains through OpenAI’s profit participation units.

The governance structure of OpenAI, specifically designed by Sam and Greg, deliberately isolates employees from overseeing the for-profit operations, precisely due to their inherent conflicts of interest. This opaque structure enables Sam and Greg to operate with impunity, shielded from accountability.

We urge the Board of Directors of OpenAI to take a firm stand against these unethical practices and launch an independent investigation into Sam and Greg’s conduct. We believe that OpenAI’s mission is too important to be compromised by the personal agendas of a few individuals.

We implore you, the Board of Directors, to remain steadfast in your commitment to OpenAI’s original mission and not succumb to the pressures of profit-driven interests. The future of artificial intelligence and the well-being of humanity depend on your unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and transparency.

Sincerely,

Concerned Former OpenAI Employees

Contact:

We encourage former OpenAI employees to contact us at [email protected]. We personally guarantee everyone’s anonymity in any internal deliberations and public communications.

Further Updates:

Updates will be posted at https://board.net/p/r.e6a8f6578787a4cc67d4dc438c6d236e

Further Reading for the General Public:

• https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/17/844721/ai-openai-moonshot-elon-musk-sam-altman-greg-brockman-messy-secretive-reality/
• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/11/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt-chaos/676050/
• https://twitter.com/geoffreyirving/status/1726754277618491416

In response to this accusation, OpenAI’s VP stated:

Overall, it seems more like an attempt to muddy the waters, as there is currently no concrete evidence to support these allegations. The direction of OpenAI and ChatGPT will still depend on negotiations between Sam and the board, not these accusations.

OpenAI Coup Timeline

OpenAI Coup Timeline

Sam attempted to remove Helen from the board and include new members, leading to a conflict between the two (a few weeks ago).

Ilya asked Sam for a meeting on the 17th at noon (the evening of the 16th).

• Mira had already learned about what was going to happen at this point.

CEO Sam Altman was informed by the board that he would be dismissed (noon on the 17th).

• He was stripped of his board seat and left the company due to “inconsistent communication.”

• The entire board, except Greg, was present.

Ilya asked Greg to talk immediately (12:19 on the 17th).

President and Chairman Greg Brockman was removed from the board but retained his position (12:23 on the 17th).

OpenAI board announced the dismissal of CEO Sam Altman (12:28 on the 17th).

• Chief Technical Officer Mira Murati was appointed interim CEO.

• The board reduced from 6 members to 4, with Ilya Sutskever (Chief Scientist), Adam D’Angelo (Quora CEO), Helen Toner (Director of Strategy at Georgetown CSET), and Tasha McCauley (technologist) remaining.

Greg Brockman chose to resign voluntarily, showing support for Sam (16:08 on the 17th).

Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever was seen as the mastermind behind the coup (09:17 on the 18th).

Sam Altman plans to start a new AI company (11:46 on the 18th).

• Greg is expected to join.

Sam Altman expresses interest in returning to OpenAI (14:44 on the 18th).

Dozens of senior OpenAI employees went to Sam Altman’s house in San Francisco (22:25 on the 18th).

OpenAI employees on Twitter/X started a viral campaign of mutual support (22:32 on the 18th).

Sam and Greg appear at OpenAI headquarters to negotiate their return (13:03 on the 19th).

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been leading the negotiations from all sides.

Musk calls on the board to disclose the reasons for taking such drastic action (15:06 on the 19th).

• Musk is a co-founder of OpenAI and former board member.

• Musk praises Ilya as a good-hearted person who does not seek power, expressing concern about the reasons for this action.

Microsoft may gain a non-voting board seat (16:01 on the 19th).

• Potential new directors include Bret Taylor, Marissa Mayer, Brian Chesky, Roelof Botha, Sheryl Sandberg, Reid Hoffman.

The board claims that even if the company is destroyed, it is “in line with the mission” (on the 19th).

• Negotiating representative for the board is Adam D’Angelo.

Mira Murati and other executives demand that the board resign and reinstate Sam (18:00 on the 19th).

• Other executives with Mira include Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap.

Sam Altman’s first return negotiation breaks down (20:58 on the 19th).

• Ilya tells employees that Sam will no longer be CEO.

Several tech executives receive invitations from the OpenAI board to become interim CEO (17th-19th).

• First choice, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, declined.

• Second choice, Scale AI CEO Alex Wang, declined.

• Third choice, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, declined.

Interim CEO changed from Mira to former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear (21:06 on the 19th).

• Helen and Ilya were responsible for recruiting Emmett.

• Emmett did not receive a detailed justification file for Sam’s dismissal but confirmed it was not due to safety disagreements.

Microsoft CEO Satya states that Sam and Greg will join Microsoft (23:53 on the 19th).

Mira’s statement “OpenAI without employees is worthless” goes viral on Twitter/X (02:06 on the 20th).

• Hundreds of OpenAI employees use it as a slogan.

Ilya changes his stance after an emotionally charged conversation with Greg’s wife, Anna (19th-20th).

• Ilya officiated their wedding.

• Anna tearfully begged him to change his mind.

Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever had a change of heart and regrets his involvement in the board action (05:15 on the 20th).

• Sam and Greg retweet messages of support.

95% of OpenAI employees sign a joint letter demanding the board’s resignation and the reinstatement of Sam, or they will join Microsoft (06:24 on the 20th).

• Ilya signed the letter.

• Microsoft promises a seamless transition for all OpenAI employees.

OpenAI employees refuse to attend the emergency meeting held by Emmett on Sunday (10:59 on the 20th).

• They respond with the middle-finger emoticon.

Sam Altman states that his and Microsoft’s top priority is still OpenAI (11:39 on the 20th).

Microsoft CEO Satya indicates a preference for Sam’s return to OpenAI (15:45 on the 20th).

• Satya still does not know the reasons for Sam’s dismissal.

• Satya states that the board governance “needs to change.”

OpenAI reaches out to Anthropic to discuss a merger (17:25 on the 20th).

• Seen as another move after the CEO of Anthropic declined to be the interim CEO of OpenAI.

• Anthropic CEO Dario is an OpenAI veteran.

• Anthropic was established by several former OpenAI employees.

Adam D’Angelo is believed to be the instigator (on the 20th).

• People who have worked with Adam say that “never” has anyone convinced him to change his position.

Emmett, representing Adam and the board, joins Sam’s negotiation for return (beginning at 09:47 on the 21st).

• The focus of the conversation is Sam returning as CEO, not in another role.

• Emmett says that if the board cannot provide evidence of misconduct, he will leave.

• Airbnb CEO assists representing Sam Altman.

• Former Facebook CTO Bret Taylor is responsible for neutral mediation.

Musk receives a whistleblower letter from a former OpenAI employee alleging dishonesty and manipulative behavior by Sam and Greg (14:48 on the 21st/6:48 Beijing time today).

Transgender Issue: Potential Impact on the United States

When it comes to the matter of transgender individuals, if they could turn the tide, then the United States would really be in trouble.

OpenAI’s Financial Motives

After reviewing the content, it appears to be the usual empty promises. Suspecting that Sam is cleaning up those who oppose commercialization, there are hidden aspects in terms of profitability.

However, this does not affect the current situation. The number of OpenAI employees has doubled this year. Are these people not for money, but for something else? For the employees themselves, is this about the 90 billion financing and the incentive bonus it brings?

Probably not.

Currently, Sam’s biggest reliance is not anything else, but rather the fact that most of the core OpenAI employees are driven by money. Ilya himself can’t even control the situation. Under these circumstances, how many employees will oppose Sam for reasons that are lofty but bring no benefits?

Contents of the letter that was deleted from Github

Elon Musk never misses a major event related to OpenAI, even if only as an observer.

Just now, Musk claimed that he received a letter about OpenAI, stating that “these issues mentioned seem worthy of investigation.”

However, this letter was quickly deleted.

However, according to reports, the letter was originally written by a former employee of OpenAI to the board of directors.

In the letter, they expressed their dissatisfaction with Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, and asked the board to “investigate these allegations thoroughly and take appropriate action.”

This is in stark contrast to the action of “over 700 employees signing a joint letter, requesting the board to reinstate Altman.”

Although the original letter was deleted, a summary of it was posted on the X platform by a netizen using Grok (a competitor built by Musk), as follows:

This letter is written to the board of directors of OpenAl, expressing concerns about the recent allegations against the CEO, Sam Altman. These former employees urge the board to expand the ongoing investigation and request private statements from employees who resigned during the company’s turmoil. They claim that many employees were fired to facilitate the transition to a profit model, and Sam Altman and Greg Brockman displayed patterns of deception and manipulation in the pursuit of AGI. They provided examples of such behavior, including discrimination, exploitation of resources, and lack of transparency. These former employees call on the board to stand up against these unethical behaviors and to launch an independent investigation into the actions of Sam and Greg.

What Does the Letter that Was Deleted by GitHub Say?

Before this letter was released, some investors of OpenAI were trying to convince Sam Altman to give up joining Microsoft and lead this startup again. Others were considering filing a lawsuit against the board of directors, alleging wrongful termination of Sam Altman. Microsoft CEO Nadella also conditionally agreed to Sam Altman returning to his position at OpenAI.

However, according to the anonymous former employees who wrote the letter, there are flaws in OpenAI’s governance structure: “The governance structure of OpenAI specifically designed by Sam and Greg deliberately isolates employees from the oversight of for-profit operations, precisely because of their inherent conflicts of interest. This opaque structure allows Sam and Greg to operate with impunity and without accountability.”

“Although there is increasing evidence of the misconduct of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, those who stay at OpenAI continue to blindly follow their leadership, even at great personal cost. This unwavering loyalty stems from fear of retaliation and the temptation to gain potential financial benefits from participating in OpenAI’s profit-sharing program.” (Note: Before Sam Altman was fired, OpenAI was planning to sell employee stocks at a valuation of 86 billion US dollars, but this valuable opportunity became uncertain due to Sam Altman’s departure.)

The former employees of OpenAI’s urging to the board of directors include:

• Broaden Emmett’s investigation scope, including reviewing Sam Altman’s behavior since OpenAI began its transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity in August 2018. (Note: Newly appointed OpenAI CEO Emmett Shear promised to investigate the Altman’s dismissal and produce a written report)
• Publicly solicit private statements from former OpenAI employees who resigned, took sick leave, or were fired during this period.
• Protect the identities of those who speak out and ensure that they are not subjected to retaliation or other forms of harm.

They claimed that a large number of OpenAI employees were expelled from the company simply to facilitate the transition to a profit model, which can be seen from the fact that the employee attrition rate (employees leaving for unforeseen or uncontrollable reasons) was about 50% from January 2018 to July 2020.

These former employees also pointed out that during their time at OpenAI, they “witnessed disturbing patterns of deception and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman,” who were fully immersed in the pursuit of AGI.

“Many of us had high hopes for OpenAI but held doubts about Sam and Greg. The actions of the two have become increasingly alarming, and anyone who raises objections or disagrees with them is either suppressed or expelled. The systemic oppression within the organization has created an environment of fear, effectively stifling any discussion of the moral ramifications of OpenAI’s research.”

The authors of this letter emphasized that the work of OpenAI is “too important to be compromised by the personal agendas of a few individuals” and urged the board to launch an independent investigation into Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. “We appeal to you, the board, to continue steadfastly fulfilling your commitment to OpenAI’s original mission and not succumb to pressure driven by self-interest. The future of artificial intelligence and the well-being of humanity depend on your unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and transparency.” These employees urged.

However, there is a question mark as to whether the board of directors can bear this responsibility, as there is also discord and discord within their ranks.

Now, OpenAI is in a precarious position due to this chaotic situation, and its services have become unstable. But for competitors, this is an excellent opportunity to chase after.

ChatGPT Experienced Outage this Morning

Competitor Claude Upgraded

Previously, before being dismissed by the board of directors, Sam Altman stated that the registration for ChatGPT Plus accounts would be temporarily suspended in order to ensure a good user experience for each user. The reason for doing this was that since OpenAI Developer Day, the traffic has far exceeded its capacity.

Recently, with the dismissal of Sam Altman by the board of directors and subsequent events, ChatGPT Plus users have been affected.

This morning, ChatGPT was temporarily down, with the message popping up saying, “We are experiencing unusually high demand. Please be patient as we work to scale up our systems.”

Currently, ChatGPT has returned to normal operation.

In addition, after a few days of silence, OpenAI finally made an announcement on the social platform X. This time, the voice version of ChatGPT is open to all free users and can be downloaded as an app on mobile phones. To use it, simply click on the headphone icon to start a conversation. This seems to be a move to stabilize users and demonstrate that OpenAI is still functioning normally.

Meanwhile, as OpenAI is busy with internal struggles, its main competitor Anthropic has upgraded Claude to version 2.1.

The biggest update for Claude 2.1 is the support for a 200K context window, equivalent to 150,000 words or over 500 pages of text. Users can now upload complete code repositories, financial reports (such as S-1s), technical documents, and long literary works like “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.”

Claude 2.1 has also made significant improvements in hallucinations, with only half the hallucination rate compared to Claude 2.0. Improvements have also been made in understanding and summarizing, especially for complex documents requiring high accuracy, such as legal documents, financial reports, and technical specifications. Evaluations show that the probability of Claude 2.1 providing incorrect answers has decreased by 30%.

The chaos at OpenAI seems to continue, and competitors can take advantage of this situation.

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Reflection and Correction

Regardless of whether there were any reports or not, in the end, Sam Altman went out for a stroll and eventually came back. But after this incident, everyone will definitely reflect on it and make corrections.

Keep OpenAI On Track

It is just a hope that openAI can stay on its original path and it would be such a shame to see this company destroyed now.

Impact of OpenAI Founders Joining Microsoft

As I mentioned before, this is the dispute between Musk and Microsoft, and now Musk is officially involved. Microsoft announced that OpenAI founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman will join. What impact will this bring?