OpenAI's 'Friction' email lets staff report workplace bottlenecks to leadership
OpenAI had already put in place Friction, an internal email tool where staff can report workplace bottlenecks (think slow approvals, tech hiccups, or anything that makes work harder) to friction@openai.com, where OpenAI's leadership team reviews them, with significant issues escalated to CEO Sam Altman or Greg Brockman.
It's all about making the company run smoother and keeping things transparent.
Friction improved API credits and parking
The system has already helped fix real issues, like improving the process for granting API credits and testing a new parking system for employees with long commutes.
When Fidji Simo was CEO of Applications in 2025, she made it even more open by gathering feedback from employees and sharing monthly Slack updates so employees could track progress on reported concerns.
Even after Simo left last month, Friction is still going strong, kind of like Amazon's famous "Jeff B escalations," where big problems go straight to the top to get solved fast.