Three safety researchers fired by OpenAI have published an open letter disputing allegations about their handling of sensitive information and warning that unclear rules could discourage collaboration with independent evaluators.

Tomek Korbak, Jasmine Wang and Mikita Balesni addressed the letter to three OpenAI oversight bodies. TechCrunch reported its publication on October 8. The authors say they worked within the company's norms and believed their external collaborations fell within their job mandates.

They also deny being the source of a leak to The Information about less monitorable model architectures. Balesni says his cross-company work involved discussions with executives and board members, while Wang says access to an executive's email had been authorized for recruiting and remained active after she requested its removal. These are the researchers' accounts, not independently established findings.

OpenAI disputes retaliation

OpenAI told TechCrunch that an investigation found a "pattern of misconduct" involving research information. An internal memo the company shared with the publication said the dismissals were not about raising safety concerns or speaking out. TechCrunch reported that OpenAI did not specify which policies were violated in response to its questions.

Three requested commitments

The letter calls for continued access for independent safety auditors, preservation of frontier-model monitorability, and clear procedures for working with outside safety organizations. It argues that trusted communication channels are themselves a safety mechanism.

The public record establishes a disagreement over conduct and operating rules, not its resolution. The concrete governance question is how OpenAI defines and communicates the boundary between protecting confidential research and enabling independent scrutiny.