OpenAI runs an internal escalation system that lets employees flag workplace problems directly to senior leadership through a dedicated email address, friction@openai.com, with select issues reaching CEO Sam Altman or President Greg Brockman.
Employees can use the inbox to report anything they believe is creating unnecessary friction in their work. Reported issues have ranged from malfunctioning technical systems and broken internal processes to more everyday concerns such as crowded parking facilities and too few IT vending machines..
Not every complaint receives priority. OpenAI’s leadership team triages the submissions and decides which ones warrant intervention. When a complaint carries the backing of Altman or Brockman, the team responsible may be expected to act immediately.
The inbox reportedly existed earlier but gained momentum after Fidji Simo joined OpenAI as CEO of Applications in 2025 and began her tenure with a three-month listening exercise. The company also introduced monthly Slack updates to share progress on flagged issues.
Concrete outcomes have followed. One complaint about overcrowded parking led OpenAI to pilot an allocation system favouring employees with longer commutes. Another, about the distribution of API credits, prompted work to improve reliability and scalability.
The mechanism has drawn comparisons with Amazon’s former “Jeff B escalation” practice, in which founder Jeff Bezos forwarded customer complaints to the responsible team with a single question mark, signalling immediate action. Not all feedback has been positive. A former team leader told Fortune they had received dozens of friction escalations over the years and found some disruptive, particularly for teams already understaffed or overloaded.
The system is designed to help OpenAI stay fast as it scales. The company is expected to cross 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, up from around 4,500.
