Overview
- OpenAI confirmed the termination after an internal investigation into trades on platforms including Polymarket that violated company policy.
- The company has not identified the employee or detailed the trades, with the action first conveyed in an internal note from applications chief Fidji Simo.
- Financial data firm Unusual Whales flagged 77 positions across 60 wallets tied to OpenAI‑related events since 2023, including 13 new wallets staking $309,486 before the ChatGPT browser launch.
- On‑chain patterns include one‑off profitable bets around Sam Altman’s 2023 ouster and wagers on Sora and GPT‑5 timelines recorded on Polymarket’s traceable Polygon ledger.
- Regulated exchange Kalshi reported suspected cases to the CFTC and imposed penalties such as a two‑year suspension and $20,000 fine for a MrBeast employee, while Polymarket has not publicly commented.