OpenAI's "Friction" Email: Employees Escalate Issues to Sam Altman

OpenAI employees can flag workplace problems directly to senior leadership, including CEO Sam Altman, through an internal escalation system. This system uses a dedicated "friction" email address. If an issue is important enough, Altman or President Greg Brockman can step in to help resolve it. This "friction" email, [email protected], became more structured after Fidji Simo joined OpenAI in 2025 as CEO of Applications. Simo conducted a three-month listening exercise to understand employee problems. The system has addressed operational issues like parking space prioritization and API credit allocation. It allows employees to bypass management layers when an issue prevents them from doing their job. However, some former employees question if it always improves efficiency. One former team leader described some escalations as disruptive, adding pressure to already stretched teams. This system lets Altman and other executives act quickly on selected complaints, similar to Amazon's past "Jeff B escalation" practice. As OpenAI plans to expand to over 8,000 employees by late 2026, this system could become even more vital.