Truth Check/9 October 2026
“The three were fired for how they communicated with the auditor METR and for raising safety concerns”
The claim as it travelled: Korbak, Wang and Balesni, 8 Oct 2026.
Unverified
No primary page supports the claim as stated.
Korbak says the reason was given verbally and nothing was put in writing; the letter is the researchers' own account of their conduct.
- Checked Against
- mikitabalesni.com ↗Primary
- Read the Check
- OpenAI says it fired three safety researchers for "a significant breach of trust"; they say it was for how they talked to the auditor METR - both accounts are on the record, neither with a document
The three published a four-page letter on Thursday; OpenAI's newsroom answered at 06:17 UTC on Friday. The Check: OpenAI names no policy, no act and no date; the researchers' account of their own conduct is their own.
Every claim we have checked, in the Ledger.
Every claim checked against the page that produced it.
Three mornings a week, free.