OpenAI’s Jachiam0 exits with a long note on humanity, risk, and governance
jachiam0 · x · 2026-07-25
OpenAI staffer jchiam0 shared his closing message on his last day at the company, and the note is unusually broad in scope.
- He frames OpenAI’s work as a chance to improve the human condition, while warning not to lose sight of “all of humanity.”
- He says he donated a major gift to GiveDirectly, citing direct cash transfers as an effective way to help people in poverty.
- On AI progress, he argues that risk is unavoidable and should be actively managed, not used as a reason to stop advancing the frontier.
- He also says OpenAI — especially the OpenAI Foundation — will wield state-like power and should pursue more democratic governance and stronger accountability.
- He closes by saying the question is not progress vs. safety, but “both.”
Related event: Departing OpenAI Employee Publishes Letter on Mission and Governance(2 posts)→
More from AGI Musings
- Researcher's SkyNews interview: deeply concerned about AI-driven inequality and power — schwarzjn_ · 2026-09-11
- VC compares AI doom rhetoric to pandemic-era fear messaging — StewartalsopIII · 2026-09-11
- Anthropic Insiders: Not Everyone at the Lab Believes in High p(doom) — anpaure · 2026-09-11
- Could 10k agents discover learning methods beyond backprop, or just tweak existing ones? — SeunghyunSEO7 · 2026-09-11
- AI companionship dissolves the friction real intimacy needs, warns long-form thread — YogeshMalik · 2026-09-11
- Why So Many AI Researchers Think the Machines Could Kill Everyone — wiredmagazine · 2026-09-11