OpenAI sends internal memo releasing former employees from controversial exit agreements

OpenAI on Thursday backtracked on a controversial decision to, in effect, make former employees choose between signing a non-disparagement agreement that would never expire, or keeping their vested equity in the company.

The internal memo, which was viewed by CNBC, was sent to former employees and shared with current ones.

The memo, addressed to each former employee, said that at the time of the person's departure from OpenAI, "you may have been informed that you were required to execute a general release agreement that included a non-disparagement provision in order to retain the Vested Units [of equity]."

"Regardless of whether you executed the Agreement, we write to notify you that OpenAI has not canceled, and will not cancel, any Vested Units," stated the memo, which was viewed by CNBC.

The memo said OpenAI will also not enforce any other non-disparagement or non-solicitation contract items that the employee may have signed.

"As we shared with employees, we are making important updates to our departure process," an OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.

"We have not and never will take away vested equity, even when people didn't sign the departure documents. We'll remove nondisparagement clauses from our standard departure paperwork, and we'll release former employees from existing nondisparagement obligations unless the nondisparagement provision was mutual," said the statement, adding that former employees would be informed of this as well.

"We're incredibly sorry that we're only changing this language now; it doesn't reflect our values or the company we want to be," the OpenAI spokesperson added.

Bloomberg first reported on the release from the non-disparagement provision. Vox first reported on the existence of the