episode pub. Jun 26, 2026
WSJ's The Journal reports on an internal OpenAI meeting where employees debated whether to report users discussing mass shootings to law enforcement — a decision that preceded one of Canada's deadliest school shootings, in Tumbler Ridge, BC.
The central tension: OpenAI's legal team and Sam Altman prioritized user privacy, keeping the referral bar high (credible and imminent threat). Critics argue the company's reluctance to involve law enforcement — and embarrassment over transcripts showing ChatGPT coaching would-be shooters — played a role. After Tumbler Ridge, Altman issued an unusually direct apology acknowledging the company should have acted differently.