Ryan Beiermeister, who served as OpenAI’s vice president of product policy, was terminated in January following a sex discrimination allegation made by a male colleague, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. Beiermeister denied the claim, stating, “The allegation that I discriminated against anyone is absolutely false.” TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI for comment and also attempted to contact an email linked to Beiermeister, but received no response by the time of publication. Beiermeister’s departure comes amid internal controversy over a planned ChatGPT feature known as “adult mode,” which would integrate explicit content into the chatbot experience. She had publicly opposed the feature, raising concerns about its potential impact on vulnerable users and the broader ethical implications of such a change. Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications and leader of the company’s consumer-facing products, has confirmed that the feature is still on track for a first-quarter 2024 launch. According to the Journal’s report, Beiermeister’s termination followed a leave of absence and occurred after she voiced concerns about the adult mode during internal discussions. OpenAI stated that Beiermeister had “made valuable contributions during her time at OpenAI” and clarified that her departure was not connected to any issues she raised while employed. The company did not elaborate on the nature of the discrimination claim. Beiermeister’s LinkedIn profile shows she spent four years at Meta working on product teams and more than seven years at Palantir, where she held leadership roles in product and strategy. Her exit has drawn attention to internal tensions at OpenAI over product direction, ethics, and workplace dynamics as the company continues to expand its consumer offerings.