'The Stakes Are Incredibly High.' Two Former OpenAI Employees On the Need for Whistleblower Protections

This could be a costly interview for William Saunders. The former safety researcher resigned from OpenAI in February, and--like many other departing employees--signed a non-disparagement agreement in order to keep the right to sell his equity in the company. Although he says OpenAI has since told him that it does not intend to enforce the agreement, and has made similar public commitments, he is still taking a risk by speaking out. "By speaking to you I might never be able to access vested equity worth millions of dollars," he tells TIME. "But I think it's more important to have a public dialogue about what is happening at these AGI companies."