OpenAI Robotics Leader Resigns, Says Ethical ‘Lines’ Were Crossed in Pentagon Deal

A senior hardware leader at OpenAI has stepped down, saying the company moved too quickly on a controversial deal involving artificial intelligence and the US military.

Caitlin Kalinowski, the high-profile executive hired to lead OpenAI’s hardware and robotics charge, announced her resignation this past Saturday. Her departure is a direct response to the company’s recent deal to put its AI models into the Pentagon’s classified networks, a move she suggests happened far too quickly for comfort.

Kalinowski didn’t mince words about why she was walking away. In a post shared on LinkedIn and X, she explained that the decision was driven by the ethics of modern warfare and domestic safety.

“I resigned from OpenAI. I care deeply about the Robotics team and the work we built together. This wasn’t an easy call,” Kalinowski wrote. She acknowledged the reality of modern defense but pointed to specific “lines” she believes were crossed.

“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,” she stated.

Later, in a follow-up post on X, she clarified that her exit was about how the company is run. “It’s a governance concern first and foremost,” Kalinowski wrote. “These are too important for deals or announcements to be rushed.”

The resignation highlights a growing rift in Silicon Valley over military contracts. OpenAI’s deal with the Department of War came together shortly after the government’s relationship with rival firm Anthropic crumbled.

Anthropic had pushed for strict limits on how its tech could be used, leading the Trump administration to eventually label the company a “supply-chain risk.” OpenAI stepped into the vacuum, reaching an agreement to deploy its models on classified government networks.

The timing of the deal raised eyebrows even within OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman previously admitted that the rollout appeared “opportunistic and sloppy,” though the company has since tried to clarify its boundaries.

OpenAI responds

Despite the high-level exit, OpenAI is sticking to its guns, maintaining that it has built-in safeguards to prevent the very things Kalinowski fears.

In a statement provided to Fortune, an OpenAI spokesperson said: “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.”

The company added that they “recognize that people have strong views about these issues” and promised to keep talking with employees and civil society groups.

Who is Caitlin Kalinowski?

Kalinowski joined OpenAI in November 2024 to help build out the company’s robotics and hardware initiatives.

Before that, she spent several years at Meta, where she worked on augmented reality hardware, including leading development of the Orion AR glasses project. Earlier in her career, she worked on virtual reality headsets at Oculus and spent nearly six years at Apple helping design MacBook laptops.

Her role at OpenAI involved helping expand the company’s hardware capabilities as it explored ways to connect AI systems with physical machines and infrastructure.

Despite stepping away from the company, Kalinowski signaled she plans to continue working in the field.

Also read: Anthropic’s clash with the Pentagon helps explain why OpenAI’s military agreement triggered such a sharp internal backlash.