Sam Altman Under Scrutiny? OpenAI CEO Accused Of Choosing Profits Over User Safety In Shocking Report

In a latest dramatic twist for OpenAI, a major investigation by The New Yorker has questioned the intentions of the Sam Altman-led company. In a detailed report published on April 6, 2026, The New Yorker has raised concerns about whether the artificial intelligence firm has drifted away from its mission to choose profit over safety, citing internal documents and testimony against the CEO, Sam Altman. Here’s What The Report NotesAccording to the publication,previously undisclosed memos from former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and over 200 pages of notes given by ex-safety lead Dario Amodei, highlight that the San Francisco-based AI company sidelined the commitments to mitigate existential risks from AI as commercial ambitions grew. The report notes that the original

structure of OpenAI was designed to ensure accountability to humanity rather than stakeholders. However, it allegedly weakened over time. The firm reportedly turned into a for-profit model, while many safety-focused teams were reportedly dissolved and scaled back. Sutskevar has reportedly compiled over 70 pages of material. This included HR records, Slack messages, and photos taken on personal devices. Reportedly, this material was shared with board members using disappearing messages. One of the memos started with a list of concerns about Sam Altman, with the first allegation about a pattern of dishonesty. Moreover, Amodei’s notes cited similar issues about the leadership concerts. He asserted through his notes that the company’s issues were directly linked to Altman himself. What Were The Leadership DisputesThe investigation stated that after Altmanwas removed, his allies tried to influence the internal opinion, and investors tried to influence funding, which could depend on his return. It is alleged that Altman was involved in discussions to reshape OpenAI’s board. This reportedly included proposals for who should oversee an independent review into his conduct.

Was Safety Compromised?One of the major issues highlighted in the report is user safety. The company pledged to dedicate a major chunk of its computing power to its ‘superalignment team’. However, the investigation mentions that several people involved in the team received only a small portion of what was promised and often relied on old systems. Moreover, the team was eventually dissolved before completing its task. It is also suggested that Altman misrepresented safety approvals to the board. In one of the cases, a board member reportedly found that some features had not gone through the expected review process. This investigation claims that OpenAI is moving towards commercial expansion, including discussions on a possible public listing that could value the company at extremely high levels. It mentions growing investment in government-related projects. This includes defence technologies and surveillance. Reportedly, several accounts in the report cite and describe Altman as persuasive in personal interactions and raise concerns about transparency in decision-making. Citing the investigation, an investor and X user Ryan V, tweeted, “Sam told the board that safety features in GPT-4 had been approved by a safety panel. Helen Toner requested documentation and found that the most controversial features had not been approved. Sam also never mentioned to the board that Microsoft released an early ChatGPT version in India without completing a required safety review.”