Caitlin Kalinowski, who led hardware and robotics operations at OpenAI since November 2024, has resigned from the company citing concerns about Sam Altman’s contract with the Department of War.
Fortune reports that Kalinowski announced her departure through posts on social media platform X and LinkedIn, explaining her decision to leave the artificial intelligence company. “I resigned from OpenAI,” she wrote. “I care deeply about the Robotics team and the work we built together. This wasn’t an easy call. AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got. This was about principle, not people. I have deep respect for Sam and the team, and I’m proud of what we built together.”
The resignation occurs against a backdrop of growing tension within the AI industry over the extent to which AI companies should support United States military applications. Recent days have witnessed significant developments in this area, including the breakdown of negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic. Those talks collapsed after Anthropic insisted on strict limitations on the ways the Pentagon could utilize AI, even attempting to restrict legal applications of the technology.
Following the failed Anthropic negotiations, OpenAI quickly reached an agreement with the War Department to deploy its artificial intelligence models on a classified government network. This rapid move attracted criticism from various employees and observers who suggested that OpenAI appeared to capitalize on Anthropic’s refusal to accept the Pentagon’s terms.
Breitbart News recently reported that CEO Sam Altman has begun an apology tour of the left over the Pentagon deal, which has faced considerable backlash amongst Silicon Valley leftists, including Kalinowski:
In his public statement, Altman addressed the criticism directly. “We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy,” he said. The acknowledgment represents a rare public admission of missteps from the OpenAI leader.
The controversy emerged against the backdrop of a dispute between Anthropic and the U.S. government. The public feud centered on safeguards for Anthropic’s Claude AI systems and ended without reaching an agreement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that Anthropic would be designated a supply chain threat.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed Kalinowski’s departure and issued an official statement addressing the company’s position. “We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons. We recognize that people have strong views about these issues and we will continue to engage in discussion with employees, government, civil society and communities around the world,” the spokesperson said.
Kalinowski joined OpenAI to lead hardware operations under Vice President of Research Aditya Ramesh, who oversees an internal research initiative focused on developing artificial intelligence systems capable of simulating the physical world. Her tenure at the company, though relatively brief, involved significant work on robotics operations.
Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall has written the definitive guide for conservatives to understand the future of AI and how we can create policies and positions on artificial intelligence that utilize its strengths without giving in to the temptation of its weaknesses. Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI, will release on March 17, 2026, explaining the entire gamut of how AI will impact America, and why the stakes are so high.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, praised Code Red as a “must-read.” She added: “Few understand our conservative fight against Big Tech as Hall does,” making him “uniquely qualified to examine how we can best utilize AI’s enormous potential, while ensuring it does not exploit kids, creators, and conservatives.” Award-winning investigative journalist and Public founder Michael Shellenberger calls Code Red “illuminating,” ”alarming,” and describes the book as “an essential conversation-starter for those hoping to subvert Big Tech’s autocratic plans before it’s too late.”
Read more at Fortune here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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