OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk? (vox.com)

Article summary

OpenAI, a company developing artificial general intelligence, has had several high-profile departures, including its co-founder and chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, and his co-team leader, Jan Leike. The company's former employees are subject to a restrictive off-boarding agreement that includes nondisclosure and non-disparagement provisions, which can result in the loss of vested equity if violated. This has raised questions about the company's commitment to transparency and accountability. The agreement's provisions have been criticized as overly restrictive and potentially unenforceable.

Main themes

• OpenAI departures
• Non-disclosure agreements
• Artificial general intelligence
• Corporate transparency
• Employee contracts
• Tech industry ethics

What commenters say

• The use of non-disclosure agreements to silence former employees is a common practice in the tech industry, but the specific provisions in OpenAI's agreement are unusually restrictive.
• The agreement's provisions are not legally enforceable because they lack consideration and attempt to retroactively add contingencies to already vested equity.
• The use of non-disclosure agreements to prevent criticism of a company is a form of censorship that can prevent important information from being shared with the public.
• The fact that OpenAI's agreement includes a non-disparagement clause that covers not only trade secrets but also general criticism of the company is a red flag for the company's commitment to transparency and accountability.
• The agreement's provisions are necessary to protect the company's trade secrets and prevent former employees from causing harm to the company's reputation.
• The fact that former employees are willing to give up their vested equity rather than sign the agreement suggests that the agreement's provisions are overly restrictive and potentially unenforceable.
• The use of non-disclosure agreements in this way can have a chilling effect on free speech and prevent former employees from speaking out about important issues, such as safety concerns or unethical practices.
• The company's leadership has a history of prioritizing profits over ethics and transparency, and the use of restrictive non-disclosure agreements is just one example of this trend.