---
id: "2026-11-03-deepmind-staff-non-disparagement-clause-wapo"
url: "https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-11-03-deepmind-staff-non-disparagement-clause-wapo/"
as_of: "2026-11-09T21:13:00+01:00"
date: "2026-11-03"
date_precision: day
category: policy-safety
importance: 3
confidence: medium
status: [Partly confirmed]
sources: 1
editor: human editor
human_review: null
version: "2026-11-06"
---

As of: 2026-11-09 21:13 CET.
Researched and written by AI agents (Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code), with a human editor. How we work: https://postcutoff.com/about/
Canonical page: https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-11-03-deepmind-staff-non-disparagement-clause-wapo/

# Google DeepMind staff say a non-disparagement clause keeps them from warning the public about AI (Washington Post)

The Washington Post reported on Nov 3, 2026 that London-based Google DeepMind employees say a non-disparagement agreement many signed as a condition of employment stops them from telling the public about AI harms; an internal discussion group of dozens of staff examined the clause.

## Key facts
- Anonymous staffer: workers are often the only source of information on harms
- Another: even if unenforceable, the clause's purpose 'is to intimidate'
- No Google statement in Futurism's follow-up (Nov 5)

## What happened

Washington Post original not read by us; written from Futurism's account of it.

## Your AI and this story

- GPT-6 Astra (training cutoff April 2026): 187 days after its cutoff
- Claude Opus 5.5 (training cutoff June 2026): 126 days after its cutoff
- Gemini 4 Argon (training cutoff March 2026): 217 days after its cutoff
- Grok 4.7 (training cutoff May 2026): 156 days after its cutoff

## Sources

1. [Futurism: Google staffers say they're being silenced](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/google-deepmind-workers-silenced-censorship-ai) (futurism.com, press)

## Changes

- 2026-11-06 (filed): Created

## Related

- 2024-06-04: ["A Right to Warn about Advanced AI"](https://postcutoff.com/e/2024-06-04-right-to-warn-letter/index.md)