In response to the controversy, OpenAI has announced changes to its departure process, including the removal of non-disparagement clauses from standard departure paperwork. The company also apologized for the situation and stated that it does not reflect their values. The report comes amid a turbulent period for OpenAI, marked by high-profile departures, the dissolution of its Superalignment team, and a failed attempt to have Scarlett Johansson voice its new AI assistant.
Key takeaways:
- OpenAI has been pressuring departing employees to sign a non-disparagement agreement, threatening to take back vested equity, which is unusual and egregious according to employment law experts.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claimed he was unaware of this practice and assured that the company has never and will not claw back anyone's equity, even if they don't sign the non-disparagement agreement.
- OpenAI is making changes to its departure process, removing non-disparagement clauses from their standard departure paperwork and releasing former employees from existing non-disparagement obligations.
- The company has faced several challenges recently, including high-profile departures, the dissolving of its Superalignment team, and controversy over its new model GPT-4o and its voice assistant.