OpenAI employees cannot criticize the company ever: Here's why

OpenAI has been discovered to impose a highly restrictive nondisclosure agreement (NDA) on its staff, as reported by Vox. The NDA is so severe that it prohibits ex-employees from criticizing OpenAI indefinitely. Remarkably, even acknowledging the existence of this agreement is deemed a breach. The NDA is linked to the equity workers accumulate during their time at the Sam Altman-helmed company.

Violation of NDA could result in loss of equity

If an employee chooses not to sign the agreement or breaches its terms, they stand to lose all vested equity, potentially worth millions. Per Vox, this was confirmed by Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI employee who resigned due to concerns about the company's responsible behavior around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Upon his departure, Kokotajlo publicly stated that he had to give up a potentially significant sum of money by choosing not to sign the document.

OpenAI denies canceling vested equity for NDA non-compliance

In response to Vox's report, OpenAI issued a statement denying any cancellation of vested equity for current or former employees, who refuse to sign a release or non-disparagement agreement upon their exit. The ChatGPT maker stated, "We have never canceled any current or former employee's vested equity nor will we if people do not sign a release or non-disparagement agreement when they exit." When questioned about whether this was a policy change, OpenAI simply stated that their comment "reflects reality."