OpenAI Researcher Resignation

- Zoe Hitzig published an op-ed in The New York Times explaining her resignation, stating that advertising built on ChatGPT's "archive of human candor" could lead to user manipulation in ways that are not yet understood. - OpenAI began testing ads on ChatGPT in February 2026 for users on the Free and Go tiers, excluding Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscribers. The company stated that ads will be clearly labeled, conversations will remain private from advertisers, and users will have control over personalization. - The advertising strategy is launching with a premium model, charging a high cost-per-impression (CPM) of $60, which is comparable to Netflix's ad-tier launch and three times what Meta currently charges. The minimum investment for advertisers is a substantial $200,000. - Hitzig's departure is part of a series of resignations from major AI labs, including Anthropic, with researchers citing concerns over safety and the commercial pressures of the industry. - Internally, OpenAI has seen other significant departures and changes, including the disbanding of its Mission Alignment team, which was created to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. - The potential SoftBank-led funding round could reach $100 billion, a significant increase from a previous $41 billion investment, and would value OpenAI at approximately $830 billion. - To fund its investments in OpenAI, SoftBank has been liquidating other major assets, including its entire $5.8 billion stake in Nvidia and leveraging its holdings in chip designer Arm. - SoftBank and OpenAI are also collaborators on the "Stargate" initiative, a project to build a series of massive AI data centers, underscoring the immense infrastructure costs driving OpenAI's need for new revenue streams.