OpenAI's Sebastien Bubeck denies authorship demand in Navier-Stokes credit clash with Anthropic
SebastienBubeck · x · 2026-09-09
OpenAI VP Sebastien Bubeck published a detailed rebuttal to the escalating authorship dispute over the Navier–Stokes/Euler proof involving Anthropic researcher Levent.
- Motive: The leaked screenshot shows him reaching out to coordinate release timing, he says, with good intentions.
- Authorship: He denies asking for Levent to be removed from his own work. After learning Anthropic had only proven Euler blowup (not Navier–Stokes), options discussed included Tristan leading a rewrite of OpenAI's NS proof. Since internal Anthropic models were used in their Euler proof, he says he could not view Levent as an independent academic.
- Escalation: He claims the call turned into slander and threats to go to the press if OpenAI announced its NS result; his "risking your career" remark was a poorly worded, immediately retracted attempt at care, and he apologizes.
- Deadlock: Levent refused to attend meetings, leaving Bubeck as a "proxy negotiator" with Anthropic.
The statement escalates a rare public drama between the two labs over Millennium Problem credit.
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