OpenAI parts ways with 3 researchers it says mishandled sensitive information

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio October 1, 2026 / 1:13 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google OpenAI has parted ways with three employees who the company says violated its policies for handling sensitive company information. "Our investigation confirmed that these individuals mishandled sensitive information outside established company procedures, violating our policies and breaking the trust essential to our work," an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. The company added that its probe uncovered a pattern of misconduct in how individuals with access to confidential data handled company research. OpenAI's safety teams are privy to internal insights that require deep trust, without which internal collaboration is impossible, the spokesperson added. The company did not specify what type of information was allegedly mishandled or in what way.The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that three OpenAI researchers had departed the company, allegedly for sharing confidential information with a third-party AI safety organization.— This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Edited by Jordan Freiman In: OpenAI Artificial Intelligence Why OpenAI didn't roll out its latest model 02:28 Why OpenAI didn't roll out its latest model (02:28)