Sam Altman's departure from OpenAI safety committee dates to September 2024

Sam Altman left OpenAI's safety committee as part of a restructuring announced on September 16, 2024. The announcement concerns a change made in 2024, rather than a newly confirmed departure in October 2026.

OpenAI named Carnegie Mellon professor Zico Kolter to chair the committee. Its other members were Adam D'Angelo, Paul Nakasone and Nicole Seligman. Altman was absent from the revised membership.

The company had established the committee in May 2024, with Altman among its original leaders. A 90-day examination of company safeguards produced recommendations that included independent oversight of safety decisions. The restructuring put that oversight in the hands of directors outside company management.

Under the announced arrangement, executives would brief the committee on evaluations before major model launches. The committee and full board could postpone releases while safety problems remained unresolved. OpenAI also committed to providing assessments of models already in use and results from monitoring after launch.