2026-09-09 / Signal #6
An Anthropic researcher quit because the labs are already using “endgame” language in Slack
“They used to say “we have a plan.” Now they say “endgame.” Then one of them quit.”
The Story
Jacob Coxon (ex-OpenAI, Anthropic pretraining) resigned, saying both labs are “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” He and alignment lead Evan Hubinger say researchers privately believe there is >10% chance AI kills all humans this decade; internal slang is now “crunchtime” and “endgame.” Coxon says no single company can solve alignment at this speed.
Why It Matters
The safety lab’s own people are walking out because the Slack channel already sounds like a disaster movie.
Evidence
WSJ via Newsweek, Business Insider, NY Post, BBC; researcher’s X posts; Hubinger reply. HN spike today.
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-09-09