A letter anonymously written to the board of directors by a self-proclaimed former OpenAI employee was exposed. It is said that the board of directors sent it to Musk and was directly exposed by Musk.
Many OpenAIs expressed condemnation and defense of Sam in response to this letter.
The translation of the letter is as follows:
To the OpenAI Board of Directors:
As former employees who worked at OpenAI, we write today to express our deep concern about recent events at the company, particularly the allegations of misconduct against Sam Altman.
We are former employees who left the company during a period of significant upheaval and change. Given that you've seen firsthand what happens when someone dares to challenge Sam Altman, you can probably understand why many of us choose to remain silent out of fear of retaliation. But now, we can no longer remain silent.
We believe the Board has a responsibility to fully investigate these allegations and take appropriate action. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you:
• Expanded the scope of Emmett’s investigation to include a review of Sam Altman’s conduct starting in August 2018, the beginning of OpenAI’s transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity.
• Launch a public call for private statements from former OpenAI employees who resigned, took medical leave, or were fired during this period.
• Protect the identities of those who come forward and ensure they are not subject to retaliation or other forms of harm.
We believe that many OpenAI employees were forced to leave in order to facilitate the company's transition to a profitable model. This is evident from the company's employee turnover rate of up to 50% between January 2018 and July 2020.
During our time at OpenAI, we witnessed disturbing deception and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman in their pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, their actions raise serious questions about their true intentions and whether they truly put the interests of all humanity first.
Initially, many of us were hopeful about OpenAI's mission and chose to believe in Sam and Greg. But as their behavior increasingly concerns us, those who dare to express dissent are silenced or forced to leave. This systematic suppression of dissent creates an atmosphere of fear and oppression that effectively stifles any substantive discussion of the ethical implications of OpenAI’s work.
We can provide specific examples of Sam and Greg's dishonest and manipulative behavior:
• Sam asked researchers to delay reporting on progress on certain “secret” research programs that were ultimately terminated because they failed to produce results quickly. Those who questioned this were deemed a "culture misfit" and even fired, some as late as Thanksgiving 2019.
• Greg once used discriminatory language toward a gender transitioning team member. Despite repeated promises to address the issue, no substantive steps were taken, other than Greg subsequently avoiding communication with the affected individuals, which in effect created a hostile work environment. The team member was eventually fired for poor performance.
• Sam directed IT and operations staff to investigate employees, including Ilya, without management's knowledge or consent.
• Sam secretly and routinely used OpenAI's nonprofit resources to further his personal goals, particularly out of resentment following his break with Elon.
• The operations team defaulted to accepting the special rules that applied to Greg, cleverly avoiding complex requirements to avoid being blacklisted.
• Brad Lightcap failed to deliver on his promise to publicly detail OpenAI's limited profit structure and the profit cap for each investor.
• Sam’s inconsistent commitment to research project computing quotas led to internal mistrust and infighting.
Although more and more evidence reveals Sam and Greg's fault, employees still at OpenAI still blindly follow their leadership, even if it may bring significant personal losses to themselves. This unwavering loyalty stems from fear of retaliation and the lure of possible financial gains through OpenAI's profit-sharing unit.
OpenAI's governance structure, carefully designed by Sam and Greg, intentionally excludes employees from overseeing profitable operations, primarily because of their inherent conflicts of interest. This opaque structure allowed Sam and Greg to operate with impunity and avoid accountability.
We urge the OpenAI board of directors to take a firm stance against these unethical actions and initiate an independent investigation into Sam and Greg's conduct. We firmly believe that OpenAI's mission is too important to be affected by the personal goals of a few people.
We implore the board of directors to stick to OpenAI’s original mission and not succumb to pressure from profit-oriented interests. The future of AI and the well-being of humanity depends on your unwavering commitment to ethical leadership and transparency.
Sincerely, Concerned Former OpenAI Employees