OpenAI CEO clarified that a controversial equity cancellation clause in the company’s leave agreements has never been used and won’t affect vested stock.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has responded to concerns raised by a contentious provision in the company’s leave agreements that implied the possibility of equity cancellation in the wake of recent resignations.
Altman emphasized that OpenAI has never used this condition, and that no separation or non-disparagement agreements will have an impact on the vested stock.
OpenAI Clarification on Vested Equity
Altman emphasized that adding the clause which was present in earlier exit documents was a bad idea and shouldn’t have happened. He informed the ex-employees that they could discuss any issues they had with this clause with him directly for resolution.
“I take the full responsibility for this and it is one of the very few times I have been really embarrassed running OpenAI; I did not know that this was happening, and I should have,” Altman said.
It raised many questions about the intended usage and potential misuse of the equity cancellation provision.
In an attempt to prevent similar issues in the future, Altman acknowledged the error and stated that the company has been updating their usual exit paperwork for a month.
Following several resignations, including that of Jan Leike, OpenAI’s alignment lead, Altman provided an explanation. Leike gave his resignation notice on May 17th, citing OpenAI’s emphasis on product development over AI safety as one of his primary motivations.
Ilya Sutskever, a prominent name in AI research and one of OpenAI’s co-founders, left the company prior to his resignation. The exits have drawn a lot of attention to its internal agendas and strategies.
Critics have criticized the group for not putting enough emphasis on the problems surrounding sophisticated AI systems. Additionally, it has already disbanded the “Superalignment” team and integrated its operations into other research initiatives within the business.
Despite the reorganization, OpenAI remains committed to AI safety. President Greg Brockman and Altman have emphasized the significance of continuing safety studies.
In a recent statement, Brockman thanked the departing staff and gave assurances that the business would keep up its strict handling of safety issues.
Brockman outlined it’s initiatives to promote global governance, advance AI safety research, and increase public understanding of the potential benefits and hazards of AGI (artificial general intelligence).