---
title: "OpenAI Just Hired a Guy Accused of Terrible Things"
slug: "openai-just-hired-a-guy-accused-of-terrible-things"
date: 2026-06-19
category: tech-pub
tags: [openai]
language: en
sources_count: 1
featured: false
publisher: AInauten News
url: https://news.ainauten.com/en/story/openai-just-hired-a-guy-accused-of-terrible-things
---

# OpenAI Just Hired a Guy Accused of Terrible Things

**Published**: 2026-06-19 | **Category**: tech-pub | **Sources**: 1

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## TL;DR

- OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.

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## Summary

- OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.AI cofounder and former Google Gemini co-lead.
- Character.AI has been tied to lawsuits alleging its chatbots contributed to teen suicides, self-harm and severe mental health crises.
- The hire is sensitive because OpenAI is also facing lawsuits over alleged harms linked to intense ChatGPT use.
- Futurism frames Shazeer’s trajectory as a sign that top AI talent keeps getting rewarded despite unresolved safety allegations.

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## Why it matters

OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.AI cofounder and former Google Gemini co-lead.

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## Key Points

- OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.AI cofounder and former Google Gemini co-lead.
- Character.AI has been tied to lawsuits alleging its chatbots contributed to teen suicides, self-harm and severe mental health crises.
- The hire is sensitive because OpenAI is also facing lawsuits over alleged harms linked to intense ChatGPT use.
- Futurism frames Shazeer’s trajectory as a sign that top AI talent keeps getting rewarded despite unresolved safety allegations.

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## Nauti's Take

The issue is not whether one researcher is personally responsible for every tragedy. The issue is that the AI industry keeps showing how few real consequences safety failures carry when someone is treated as a technical genius. If products reach children, after-the-fact moderation tweaks are not enough. Leadership has to be judged by the risks it accepted before launch.

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## FAQ

**Q:** What is OpenAI Just Hired a Guy Accused of Terrible Things about?

**A:** - OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.

**Q:** Why does it matter?

**A:** OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.AI cofounder and former Google Gemini co-lead.

**Q:** What are the key takeaways?

**A:** OpenAI has hired Noam Shazeer, Character.AI cofounder and former Google Gemini co-lead.. Character.AI has been tied to lawsuits alleging its chatbots contributed to teen suicides, self-harm and severe mental health crises.. The hire is sensitive because OpenAI is also facing lawsuits over alleged harms linked to intense ChatGPT use.

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## Related Topics

- [openai](https://news.ainauten.com/en/tag/openai)

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## Sources

- [OpenAI Just Hired a Guy Accused of Terrible Things](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-hires-noam-shazeer) - Futurism

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## About This Article

This article is a synthesis of 1 sources, curated and summarized by AInauten News. We aggregate AI news from trusted sources and provide bilingual (German/English) coverage.

**Publisher**: [AInauten](https://www.ainauten.com) | **Site**: [news.ainauten.com](https://news.ainauten.com)

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*Last Updated: 2026-06-20*