- Meta’s Yann LeCun critiques OpenAI’s equity policies on social media, highlighting intense debate over corporate practices in AI.
- OpenAI revises equity policies after backlash, removes nondisparagement clauses.
- Despite changes, skepticism remains about OpenAI’s equity fairness.
Meta’s AI Chief Yann LeCun Criticizes OpenAI’s Equity Policies Amid Industry Debate
Meta’s Chief AI Scientist Comments on OpenAI’s Controversy
Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta, recently took to social media to mock the equity policies of competitor OpenAI. In his sarcastic tweet, LeCun hinted at employment at “ClosedAI,” a clear play on OpenAI, suggesting that the company’s promises of making employees billionaires are unrealistic. He exaggerated the company’s value to “42 sextillion dollars” and “42 octillion dollars” to emphasize the absurdity of the claims.
This critique from LeCun also highlighted some of the highly prescriptive and particularly onerous measures included in OpenAI’s policies, such as restrictions on employees’ rights, vesting clawback provisions for shares, and non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements that apply if the employee departs or speaks out.
Response to Contract Controversies
Following investigative journalism and subsequent public scrutiny, OpenAI made moves to address these concerns. These policies forced OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman and other managers to answer difficult questions about these policies during a meeting with the employees. They also assured that the problematic sections in the contracts have been eliminated, and most of the ex-employees cannot be restricted by nondisparagement clauses anymore. This change was made as part of a series of alterations that Altman acknowledged was a genuinely embarrassing policy change.
In response to the criticism, OpenAI published a statement explaining that it always allowed former employees to sell their shares at the market price regardless of their status or affiliation and planned to do the same in the future.
Conclusion
Despite OpenAI’s attempts to rectify its controversial policies, skepticism remains among former employees and industry observers. The debate over corporate practices in AI continues, with significant attention on how companies like OpenAI balance employee equity and transparency. As the industry evolves, these discussions will likely shape the future of employment agreements and corporate governance in the tech sector.
