OpenAI's robotics lead exits over Pentagon dealPLUS: How to build an AI case study generatorZach Mink, +4

OpenAI's robotics lead exits over Pentagon deal

Caitlin Kalinowski, the robotics hardware lead at OpenAI, has resigned over the company's controversial Pentagon deal. Kalinowski's departure is the first senior-level exit tied directly to the deal, and her public statement citing concerns over surveillance and lethal autonomy hits a bit harder than any App Store chart.

The details: Kalinowski joined OAI from Meta's AR glasses team in November, spearheading the rebuild of its robotics division that had previously shut down in 2020. She called the decision "about principle, not people", saying the deal was pushed through "without the guardrails defined" on AI in warfare.

Kalinowski marks the first public "resignation" over the Pentagon deal, though VP of Research Max Schwarzer also departed last week for Anthropic. The backlash has hit fast on the consumer end, with Claude climbing to No. 1 on the App Store and ChatGPT cancellations soaring.

Why it matters: Plenty of users have ditched ChatGPT and spoken out since the Pentagon deal dropped — but Kalinowski is the first senior OAI voice to walk over it on principle. OAI can weather angry tweets and App Store slides, but a big resignation letter that name-drops "lethal autonomy" and "surveillance" hits a bit differently.