OpenAI fires three safety researchers over data handling

SITUATION DETECTED: OpenAI has terminated three safety researchers for "violating our policies on accessing and handling sensitive company information".

I don't have a firm opinion on the OpenAI firings yet, because I don't know what information the employees shared or whom they shared it with. Generally, though, existing law protects California whistleblowers from being fired for blowing the whistle only when they disclose information to the government or law enforcement, or internally within their company--not when they disclose information to private third parties or the press. Here, it seems like the disclosures were to external AI safety organizations. That kind of disclosure is not protected by any law that I'm aware of, and IMO it probably shouldn't be. Of course, none of that necessarily means that it was right or acceptable for OpenAI to fire these employees. But I'll withhold judgment on that until we know more about what…