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OpenAI is reportedly killing its non-disparagement agreements that previously barred former staff from criticizing the company—and punished those who did with equity forfeiture.
The AI firm told current and former staff Thursday that they won't lose any equity that has already vested. It's also doing away with the non-disparagement demands "unless the non-disparagement provision was mutual," Bloomberg reports.
"We're incredibly sorry that we're only changing this language now," an OpenAI spokesperson tells the outlet. "It doesn't reflect our values or the company we want to be."
Last week, Vox revealed that OpenAI employees were under strict non-disparagement agreements that barred them from criticizing the company or even acknowledging that such an agreement exists for their entire lives, with no expiration date. Breaking the agreement by posting or talking about the company in a negative light would result in lost equity, which Vox dubbed "a very effective way to keep former employees quiet."
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman later apologized for the equity provision, writing that he was "genuinely embarrassed" after it was made public.
OpenAI, which obviously has the word "open" in its name, has faced criticism for its lack of openness and shift toward a more secretive, closed-off, for-profit approach to its business. Earlier this year, Elon Musk, who helped launch OpenAI back in 2015, sued the Microsoft-backed startup because it's shifted from an open nonprofit mission to a more closed one focused on generating profit.
OpenAI has also kept the identity of its "Sky" voice actor a secret, along with those involved in the casting process, meaning the actor could be under a strict NDA and therefore unable to speak out about their intentions with the role if they wanted to.
Her actress Scarlett Johansson recently criticized OpenAI for the Sky voice days after her husband Colin Jost made the comparison on Saturday Night Live, arguing in a joke that Sky was inspired by Johansson. After the SNL episode aired, OpenAI said it would "pause" the availability of the voice. The company also claimed Sky was never intended to be a Johansson imitation, even though Altman tweeted out the word "her" when it went live.