OpenAI says it fired three researchers after an internal investigation found violations of company policies governing sensitive information, opening a new dispute over trust and AI-safety culture inside one of the industry’s most closely watched companies. The researchers — Tomek Korbak, Jasmine Wang and Mikita Balesni — said their dismissals could discourage employees from raising concerns or working with outside safety experts. OpenAI rejected that characterization and said the terminations followed what it described as a significant breach of trust rather than retaliation for speaking out. The episode follows a period of heightened scrutiny around how major AI labs balance internal dissent, security controls and external safety collaboration. Reuters reported the dismissals on October 9. The immediate personnel decision is narrow, but the larger test is whether AI companies can enforce information safeguards without creating a chilling effect around internal safety criticism.