> Also, when they speak about AGI, it raises their(person leaving) marketing value
Why yes, of course Jan Leike just impromptu resigned and Daniel Kokotajlo just gave up 85% of his wealth in order not to sign a resignation NDA to do what you're describing...
While he'll be giving up a lot of wealth, it's unlikely that any meaningful NDA will be applied here. Maybe for products, but definitely not for their research.
There's very few people who can lead in frontier AI research domains - maybe a few dozen worldwide - and there are many active research niches. Applying an NDA to a very senior researcher would be such a massive net-negative for the industry, that it'd be a net-negative for the applying organisation too.
I could see some kind of product-based NDA, like "don't discuss the target release dates for the new models", but "stop working on your field of research" isn't going to happen.
Kokotajlo: “To clarify: I did sign something when I joined the company, so I'm still not completely free to speak (still under confidentiality obligations). But I didn't take on any additional obligations when I left.
Unclear how to value the equity I gave up, but it probably would have been about 85% of my family's net worth at least.
Basically I wanted to retain my ability to criticize the company in the future.“
> but "stop working on your field of research" isn't going to happen.
We’re talking about NDA, obviously no-competes aren’t legal in CA
> Unclear how to value the equity I gave up, but it probably would have been about 85% of my family's net worth at least.
Percentages are nice, but with money and wealth absolute numbers are already important enough. You can leave a very, very good life even if you are losing 85% if the remaining 15% is USD $1M. And if not signing that NDA will help you landing another richly paying job + freedom to say whatever you feel it's important saying.
Why yes, of course Jan Leike just impromptu resigned and Daniel Kokotajlo just gave up 85% of his wealth in order not to sign a resignation NDA to do what you're describing...