# OpenAI employees can email CEO Sam Altman directly to report bottlenecks

2026-08-12T19:36:33+00:00 | Technology | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

OpenAI has an internal system called 'friction' that lets employees email complaints about workplace problems directly to CEO Sam Altman or board chairman Greg Brockman, Fortune reports. Employees can send messages to friction@openai.com about broken systems, slow approvals or even parking issues. The leadership team reviews the emails and escalates significant ones to senior leaders for resolution. The system became more structured after Fidji Simo joined as CEO of Applications in late 2025. She assigned executive Irina Kofman to monitor the inbox and introduced monthly Slack updates. A former employee described it as a way to complain about 'big company bullsh*t directly to Sam'. However, some employees say the system itself can create new inefficiencies when teams already overloaded with work receive urgent requests through the channel.

## Coverage

- livemint.com <https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/openais-friction-email-can-put-workplace-woes-in-sam-altman-s-inbox-11786548081781.html>
- economictimes.indiatimes.com <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/openai-has-a-secret-friction-email-that-lets-employees-complain-directly-to-sam-altman-and-top-bosses-and-it-has-a-surprising-jeff-bezos-amazon-connection/articleshow/133188095.cms>

Tags: bureaucracy, corporate culture, OpenAI, Sam Altman, workplace complaints
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