OpenAI has an internal escalation system that lets employees flag workplace problems directly to senior leadership, including CEO Sam Altman, through a dedicated “friction” email address, friction@openai.com. If an issue is considered important enough, Altman or OpenAI President Greg Brockman can step in and push the involved teams to resolve it. The system became more structured after Fidji Simo joined OpenAI in 2025 as CEO of Applications, beginning her tenure with a three-month listening exercise. She has since moved into a part-time advisory role. Former employees told Fortune the system has addressed operational problems, including a pilot programme for prioritising parking spaces for employees with longer commutes and efforts to improve API credit allocation. It allows employees to bypass layers of management, but some former employees question its efficiency. A former OpenAI team leader said they received dozens of friction escalations and described some as disruptive, noting an issue urgent to the reporter can add pressure to understaffed or overloaded teams. The system resembles Amazon’s former “Jeff B escalation” practice. OpenAI plans to have more than 8,000 employees by the end of 2026.