An OpenAI employee's farewell letter offers a rare window into what it's like working at the company

Calvin French-Owen, a former technical staff member at OpenAI known for his role in launching the AI coding tool Codex, shared an insightful blog post detailing his year at the company. This candid reflection offers a rare glimpse into the day-to-day dynamics at OpenAI, especially in light of the recent departures of several employees. Having joined OpenAI in May 2024, French-Owen's tenure lasted until about three weeks ago. Before this, he co-founded a customer data platform named Segment. He is currently contemplating his next career steps. Describing the company's culture, French-Owen emphasized its 'bottoms-up' approach, particularly within the research teams. This culture fosters a meritocratic environment where promotions are based on one's ability to innovate and execute ideas rather than on presentation skills or political savvy. Despite the turmoil surrounding CEO Sam Altman’s temporary ousting in 2023 and the cultural tensions between academic and corporate factions, he noted that OpenAI remains committed to its nonprofit origins. French-Owen pointed out that the longer employees stay, the more they view the organization through the lens of a research lab focused on social good. However, he acknowledged that profitability is a concern, with success primarily gauged by subscription numbers for new tools and updates. The company's operational style is markedly different from traditional institutions or tech giants, characterized by rapid decision-making and a fluid team structure. Communication primarily occurs via Slack, with French-Owen receiving a mere ten emails throughout his entire time there. This swift pace, however, can lead to challenges. He remarked that scaling quickly often disrupts effective communication, reporting structures, product development, and hiring processes. Long hours are the norm, especially leading up to product launches. Reports from engineers indicate burnout from excessive workloads, prompting the company to grant a week off recently. French-Owen recounted working from 7 a.m. to midnight, including weekends, as the launch of Codex approached. The pressure is immense, with the dual goals of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) and creating products used by millions. AGI is defined as AI that can reason as well or better than humans, making it the focal point of competition among AI companies. The race for talent is fierce, with major tech firms investing heavily to attract top researchers. Meta, for instance, has recruited leading experts from OpenAI as part of its AI initiatives. French-Owen concluded with the possibility of returning to OpenAI, expressing that the quality of the work and the challenge of contributing to AGI could draw him back. He remarked that building something as impactful as AGI is a unique opportunity, and he considers large language models to be a significant technological breakthrough of the decade.