“Why Won’t OpenAI Say What the Q^✱ Algorithm Is? Supposed AI Breakthroughs Are Frequently Veiled in Secrecy, Hindering Scientific Consensus”, Karen Hao2023-11-28 (math, model-based RL, OA)⁠:

[Q^✱ exists but wasn’t key to the firing]

…The OpenAI spokesperson would only say that the company is always doing research and working on new ideas…Two people familiar with the project, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, confirmed to me that OpenAI has indeed been working on the algorithm and has applied it to math problems.

…An OpenAI spokesperson didn’t comment on Q^✱ but told me that the researchers’ concerns did not precipitate the board’s actions…But contrary to the worries of some of their colleagues, they [the two anonymous sources] expressed skepticism that this could have been considered a breakthrough awesome enough to provoke existential dread.