# OpenAI fires three safety researchers after internal letter

> OpenAI says the dismissals were for a breach of trust, not for the safety concerns the staff raised in a letter to the board.

Oossa · 2026-10-09 · https://oossa.com/en/openai-fires-three-safety-researchers-after-internal-letter

OpenAI announced on Friday that it had terminated three safety researchers: Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni. The company said the firings were due to a "significant breach of trust" and not because the staff had raised safety concerns. The three had sent a letter to OpenAI’s board and safety committees asking the firm to pause work on models that would reduce the ability to monitor AI.

## What the company says

In a post on X, OpenAI said it agrees with the letter’s goal of preserving the monitorability of frontier models and that it continues to invest heavily in that area. The firm added that the decision to part ways with the researchers was unrelated to the content of the letter.

## The facts

- OpenAI fired three safety researchers on Oct 9, 2026.
- The researchers were Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni.
- The company said they breached trust, not that they raised safety concerns.
- The researchers had written a letter to the board urging a pause on models that reduce monitorability.

## Why it matters

For people who use OpenAI’s tools, the dispute shows internal tension over how fast the company pushes new models. It suggests that safety concerns may not always be addressed openly, leaving users uncertain about the safeguards built into future releases.

## Sources & references

1. [OpenAI defends decision to fire researchers: 'These decisions were not about raising safety concerns or speaking out'](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/openai-fired-researchers-ai-concerns.html) – CNBC, 2026-10-09
2. [OpenAI doubles down on decision to fire three AI safety researchers](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1008604/openai-defends-decision-fire-safety-researchers) – The Verge, 2026-10-09

Last updated: 2026-10-09