# Fired OpenAI researchers challenge misconduct allegations in open letter

_Published Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 5:22 PM EDT · AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Fired OpenAI researchers challenge misconduct allegations in open letter — Primary](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/openai-getty.jpg?resize=1200,800)

Three safety researchers fired by OpenAI last week published an open letter Thursday disputing misconduct allegations and warning that their dismissals could discourage collaboration with outside safety evaluators. Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak and Mikita Balesni said they had worked within company norms and denied involvement in a leak about model reasoning becoming harder to monitor.

OpenAI told TechCrunch that an investigation found a pattern of mishandling research information beyond sharing with an outside evaluation group. An internal memo denied retaliation for raising safety concerns.

The researchers called for embedded third-party auditors and continued model monitorability. OpenAI's memo agreed with those recommendations, but the company did not directly answer questions about which policies the researchers allegedly violated.

## Sources

- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/08/fired-openai-safety-researchers-dispute-misconduct-claims-warn-of-chilling-effect/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/vxgiMxZkuPcX4Kw8pYxMnC
Published: 2026-10-08T21:22:02.674Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-08T20:04:26.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-08T23:19:19.712Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)