From Yahoo Finance: 2024-05-19 14:40:00

OpenAI employees were reportedly faced with a decision between keeping their vested equity and speaking out against the company. The policy required signing a non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreement to keep millions of dollars in vested equity. CEO Sam Altman confirmed the provision but stated they never revoked anyone’s equity without a separation agreement.

Altman apologized for the provision, claiming ignorance and embarrassment, and promised to rectify the situation for any former employees affected. This development followed the resignations of two high-profile OpenAI figures: co-founder and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever and team leader Jan Leike. The company was already in the process of reevaluating its exit paperwork over the past month.

If any former employee who signed a old separation agreement is concerned about potential equity cancellation, they can reach out to Altman. This incident raises questions about how OpenAI handles employee departures and equity.



Read more at Yahoo Finance: Sam Altman is ‘embarrassed’ that OpenAI threatened to revoke equity if exiting employees wouldn’t sign an NDA