Ex-OpenAI Advisor Brundage: AI Industry's Golden Handcuffs Are More Invisible Than You Think

Miles_Brundage · x · 2026-09-25

Miles Brundage, former senior advisor at OpenAI, tweeted about "golden handcuffs" in the AI industry: they are made of a rare form of gold that is invisible to the wearer, and automatically adjust their strength based on the wealth of those around — meaning whether someone is locked in by money depends heavily on their peer group.

He also clarified that while some people genuinely work in AI for non-financial reasons, more people believe that about themselves than it is true for, citing evidence like departure timing relative to equity events and unconvincing theories of impact.

Related event: Ex-OpenAI Adviser Calls AI's Golden Handcuffs Invisible and Self-Tightening(2 posts)→

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