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Daniel Kokotajlo

Technology & AI / Safety

Rank #22 Warm path: via network EMERGING
RoleTechnology & AI / Safety
Age~31–33 (estimated)
Faith alignment
25 / 100
EMERGING
The “that’s me” angle

Engagement Strategy

What’s happening now
  • Executive Director, AI Futures Project (nonprofit)
  • Executive Director, AI Futures Project
Who he knows in our world

Network

AI Futures Project contactEA communityInfluenceWatch + GrantmakersPhilanthropy Daily interview
The record

Identity

Full Name
Daniel Kokotajlo
Born
~31–33 (estimated)
Education
Philosophy PhD background
Career arc
  • Philosophy PhD (institution unclear; LessWrong community contributor)
  • AI safety researcher (pre-OpenAI organization)
  • OpenAI Governance team (2022–April 2024), focused on forecasting
  • April 2024: Resigned from OpenAI over concerns about company's direction
  • May 2024: Publicly confirmed refusing non-disparagement agreement, forfeiting an undisclosed sum
  • 2024: Co-organized "Right to Warn" letter (13 current/former OpenAI/Google DeepMind employees)
  • Present: Executive Director, AI Futures Project
Full dossierthe complete record →
Internal — wealth (not for any recipient surface)
Net worth
Modest — forfeited 85% of family net worth ($1.7–2M)

Synthesized from 11 sources · Composite 87 · Coverage —

IDENTITY

FieldValue
EducationPhilosophy PhD background
Age~31–33 (estimated)
Full NameDaniel Kokotajlo

Career Arc

FieldValueSource
Full nameDaniel KokotajloAIWI, GZERO
Current roleExecutive Director, AI Futures ProjectAIWI case study
PreviousGovernance/Safety Researcher, OpenAI (2022–April 2024)Multiple
EducationPhilosophy PhD backgroundExisting profile
Known forForfeiting ~$1.7–2M in OpenAI equity (85% of family net worth) to refuse non-disparagement agreementAIWI, multiple
RecognitionTIME100 AI 2024Existing profile
Age~31–33 (estimated)

IMPORTANT DISAMBIGUATION: There is a DIFFERENT Daniel Kokotajlo who is a British filmmaker (born ~1981, from Manchester) who directed the 2018 film "Apostasy" about Jehovah's Witnesses. The AI safety researcher Daniel Kokotajlo is a separate person.

Career arc:

  • Philosophy PhD (institution unclear; LessWrong community contributor)
  • AI safety researcher (pre-OpenAI organization)
  • OpenAI Governance team (2022–April 2024), focused on forecasting
  • April 2024: Resigned from OpenAI over concerns about company's direction
  • May 2024: Publicly confirmed refusing non-disparagement agreement, forfeiting $1.7–2M
  • 2024: Co-organized "Right to Warn" letter (13 current/former OpenAI/Google DeepMind employees)
  • Present: Executive Director, AI Futures Project
  • 2025: Published "AI 2027" report forecasting AI progression

Source URLs:

  • https://aiwi.org/case-studies/right-to-warn-and-daniel-kokotajlo/
  • https://www.gzeromedia.com/podcast/gzero-world-podcast/openai-whistleblower-daniel-kokotajlo-on-superintelligence-and-existential-risk-of-ai

  • 8. DANIEL KOKOTAJLO [10](#daniel-kokotajlo)
  • Source: claude-export/projects.json project="Day 7 Business Plan" doc="AI GODFATHERS, INTERNET PIONEERS & TECH WHISTLEBLOWERS.docx"
  • - Daniel Kokotajlo - Just sacrificed millions, needs vindication
  • Source: claude-export/projects.json project="Day 7 Business Plan" doc="AI GODFATHERS, INTERNET PIONEERS & TECH WHISTLEBLOWERS.docx"

  • Table of Contents {#table-of-contents .TOC-Heading}

[AI GODFATHERS, INTERNET PIONEERS & TECH WHISTLEBLOWERS

1](#ai-godfathers-internet-pioneers-tech-whistleblowers)

[THE AI GODFATHERS (Created AI, Now Warning)

3](#the-ai-godfathers-created-ai-now-warning)

1. GEOFFREY HINTON [3](#geoffrey-hinton)

2. YOSHUA BENGIO [4](#yoshua-bengio)

3. STUART RUSSELL [5](#stuart-russell)

[THE FIRED WHISTLEBLOWERS (Sacrificed Careers for Truth)

6](#the-fired-whistleblowers-sacrificed-careers-for-truth)

4. TIMNIT GEBRU [6](#timnit-gebru)

5. MARGARET MITCHELL [7](#margaret-mitchell)

[THE OPENAI EXODUS (Left Over Safety Concerns)

8](#the-openai-exodus-left-over-safety-concerns)

6. ILYA SUTSKEVER [8](#ilya-sutskever)

7. JAN LEIKE [9](#jan-leike)

8. DANIEL KOKOTAJLO [10](#daniel-kokotajlo)

[THE INTERNET PIONEERS (Created Web, Now Warning)

11](#the-internet-pioneers-created-web-now-warning)

9. TIM BERNERS-LEE [11](#tim-berners-lee)

10. JARON LANIER [12](#jaron-lanier)

11. VINT CERF [13](#vint-cerf)

[THE FORMER TECH EXECUTIVES (Left to Warn)

14](#the-former-tech-executives-left-to-warn)

12. MO GAWDAT [14](#mo-gawdat)

13. TRISTAN HARRIS [15](#tristan-harris)

14. FRANCES HAUGEN [16](#frances-haugen)

[15. CHAMATH PALIHAPITIYA

17](#chamath-palihapitiya)

[THE AI SAFETY RESEARCHERS

18](#the-ai-safety-researchers)

16. MAX TEGMARK [18](#max-tegmark)

17. NICK BOSTROM [19](#nick-bostrom)

18. GARY MARCUS [20](#gary-marcus)

19. MEREDITH WHITTAKER [21](#meredith-whittaker)

20. SHERRY TURKLE [22](#sherry-turkle)

[THE TECH CRITICS & PHILOSOPHERS

23](#the-tech-critics-philosophers)

21. DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF [23](#douglas-rushkoff)

22. ROGER MCNAMEE [24](#roger-mcnamee)

23. CATHY O\'NEIL [25](#cathy-oneil)

24. EVGENY MOROZOV [26](#evgeny-morozov)

[THE CRYPTO/SOVEREIGNTY PIONEERS

27](#the-cryptosovereignty-pioneers)

25. NAVAL RAVIKANT [27](#naval-ravikant)

26. BALAJI SRINIVASAN [28](#balaji-srinivasan)

[CRITICAL MISSING VOICES (Must Add)

29](#critical-missing-voices-must-add)

27. ELIEZER YUDKOWSKY [29](#eliezer-yudkowsky)

[28. CONNOR

  • 8. DANIEL KOKOTAJLO

Position: Former OpenAI Governance Researcher\

Net Worth: \$500K+\

Location: California\

Alignment Score: 83/100

Why They\'re Aligned:

  • QUIT OpenAI, forfeited equity worth millions
  • Lost confidence in OpenAI developing AGI safely
  • Public warning about rushed AI development
  • Chose principles over massive payout

Why They\'d Be Interested in Day 7:

  • Governance structure he believes necessary
  • Transparent development he advocates
  • Alternative to reckless AI race
  • Platform preserving human agency

How to Contact:

  • Primary: Through EA community
  • Secondary: AI safety organizations
  • Best approach: Alignment research networks
  • Events: EA Global conferences

\

  • Immediate Opportunities:
  • Ilya Sutskever - Just started Safe Superintelligence Inc, needs

allies NOW

  • Jan Leike - Just pushed out from OpenAI, probably furious

WEALTH & HOLDINGS

AssetDetailSource
Net worthModest — forfeited 85% of family net worth ($1.7–2M)AIWI
Current incomeExecutive Director, AI Futures Project (nonprofit)AIWI
OpenAI equity forfeited~$1.7–2M vested equityMultiple

Kokotajlo is NOT a wealth target. His value is entirely moral/intellectual — he represents integrity and sacrificial truth-telling in the AI space.


No significant giving history. Kokotajlo's "gift" was sacrificial — forfeiting $2M for the right to speak truth. He is a moral figure, not a financial one.


Daniel Kokotajlo is the AI safety researcher who walked away from approximately $2 million in vested equity at OpenAI — representing ~85% of his family's net worth — rather than sign a non-disparagement agreement that would silence him about AGI risks. His sacrifice catalyzed a global conversation about AI corporate accountability.

  • Dossier: planning/wave3-dossiers/daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • Hub: planning/command-center/22-daniel-kokotajlo.md

FAITH & ALIGNMENT

DimensionAssessment
Religious affiliationNone confirmed; likely secular/rationalist (LessWrong community)
Moral frameworkConsequentialist/utilitarian; AI safety; truth-telling over personal gain
Faith signalNONE — this is a secular integrity story, not a faith story
Kingdom alignment score25/100 — moral courage and truth-telling align with faith values, but no personal faith signal

Alignment notes: Kokotajlo's sacrifice (85% net worth to speak truth) resonates with biblical virtue, but he appears to be a secular rationalist from the Effective Altruism / LessWrong community. No Christian faith connection identified.


Kokotajlo represents moral courage in the face of institutional pressure — choosing truth and the common good over personal financial security. His stance (that powerful technology must be developed responsibly, with adequate safeguards for humanity) aligns with a stewardship-of-power framework. His sacrifice (85% of net worth) for the right to speak truth is a concrete embodiment of integrity over expedience.


WARM PATH & RELATIONSHIPS

Why he belongs on the list:

Kokotajlo represents moral courage at the frontier of AI — the most consequential technology of our time. His sacrifice (85% net worth to speak truth) is a secular expression of what faith communities call integrity. His AI Futures Project shapes public discourse on existential AI risk. However, he has no personal wealth, no faith signal, and no giving capacity.

Best warm path:

  • Via AI safety community — Effective Altruism, LessWrong, Alignment Research Center
  • No direct warm path through faith networks identified

Angle that resonates:

Truth-telling, integrity, responsibility with powerful technology. If engagement is pursued, frame around "stewardship of power" — the idea that those building world-changing technology have a moral obligation to do so responsibly.

Honest assessment: DATA-THIN on faith alignment. Kokotajlo is a moral inspiration but NOT a stewardship target, giving partner, or kingdom-aligned individual by any evidence available. His roster placement at rank 292 seems appropriate for monitoring but not active engagement.


  • No verified warm path
  • AI safety community; LessWrong network

Compiled by W2-K09 · Session 1327

  • Source: planning/command-center/442-daniel-kokotajlo.md

Why he belongs on the list:

Kokotajlo represents moral courage at the frontier of AI — the most consequential technology of our time. His sacrifice (85% net worth to speak truth) is a secular expression of what faith communities call integrity. His AI Futures Project shapes public discourse on existential AI risk. However, he has no personal wealth, no faith signal, and no giving capacity.

Best warm path:

  • Via AI safety community — Effective Altruism, LessWrong, Alignment Research Center
  • No direct warm path through faith networks identified

Angle that resonates:

Truth-telling, integrity, responsibility with powerful technology. If engagement is pursued, frame around "stewardship of power" — the idea that those building world-changing technology have a moral obligation to do so responsibly.

Honest assessment: DATA-THIN on faith alignment. Kokotajlo is a moral inspiration but NOT a stewardship target, giving partner, or kingdom-aligned individual by any evidence available. His roster placement at rank 292 seems appropriate for monitoring but not active engagement.


Key Connections

  • (Tyler
  • 2026
  • 80,000 Hours community
  • AI Futures Project contact
  • AI safety community — Effective Altruism
  • CauseIQ
  • Dan Proft and John Tillman (political operatives
  • EA community
  • EA/rationalist community connections
  • FDI network
  • Faith Driven Investor network
  • Future of Life Institute network (where he and Connor Leahy both appear
  • GuideStar
  • GuideStar (10/27/2025
  • GuideStar program description
  • Hinchilla + ECFA profile
  • InfluenceWatch
  • InfluenceWatch + Grantmakers
  • NonprofitScan (from $1
  • Philanthropy Daily interview

ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

[H8-notes] Entity: Genesis Outreach — Daniel Kokotajlo | Note ID: 37df3197-4121-410e-8b0d-bc91f1608162


KEY QUOTES

QuoteYearSource
"I gradually lost trust in OpenAI leadership and their ability to responsibly handle AGI, so I quit."2024
"The world isn't ready, and we aren't ready. And I'm concerned we are rushing forward regardless and rationalizing our actions."
"A sane civilization would not be proceeding with the creation of this incredibly powerful technology until we had some better idea of what we were doing."2027
"OpenAI is really excited about building AGI, and they are recklessly racing to be the first there."2027forfeiting $2M for the right to speak
"stewardship of power"the idea that those building world-changing technology have a moral obligation t
"Alternative Nobel Prize"2024remains active in the AI forecasting community, updating p
"Genesis is building the truth infrastructure for the AI age — a Kingdom investment that protects and empowers the Body of Christ."Maclellan family, NCF leadership, Kaestner, Cathy family
"generosity advising" and non-cash complex assets (business interests, real estate, crypto). Genesis could position for"
"Faith-driven technology infrastructure deserves the same generosity advising that missions and churches receive."1890overlaps with Midwest faith-capital networks.
"Genesis is a faith-driven technology company building truth infrastructure — exactly what FDI exists to fund and celebrate."
"how faith-driven entrepreneurs build"2026
"investments and charitable work"2024Extremely private, almost n

ALL FACTS

KeyValue
AI Safety Leaders & Ethics Advocates- Tristan Harris / Center for Humane Technology (9/10 alignment)
Age~31–33 (estimated)
Alignment notesKokotajlo's sacrifice (85% net worth to speak truth) resonates with biblical virtue, but he appears to be a secular rationalist from the Effective Altruism / LessWrong community. No Christian faith co
Angle that resonatesTruth-telling, integrity, responsibility with powerful technology. If engagement is pursued, frame around "stewardship of power" — the idea that those building world-changing technology have a moral o
Best warm path- Via AI safety community — Effective Altruism, LessWrong, Alignment Research Center
Career arc- Philosophy PhD (institution unclear; LessWrong community contributor)
Composite Score87.0/100
Coverage0%
Current incomeExecutive Director, AI Futures Project (nonprofit)
Current roleExecutive Director, AI Futures Project
Data StatusRICH (39,625 bytes across sources)
Direct?No
DomainTechnology & AI / Safety
Dossierplanning/wave3-dossiers/daniel-kokotajlo.md
EducationPhilosophy PhD background
Faith registerSECULAR — rationalist/effective altruist framework rather than traditional faith. However, his willingness to sacrifice personal wealth for truth-telling, his concern for humanity's future, and his co
Faith signalNONE — this is a secular integrity story, not a faith story
Full nameDaniel Kokotajlo
Generated2026-06-15
Honest assessmentDATA-THIN on faith alignment. Kokotajlo is a moral inspiration but NOT a stewardship target, giving partner, or kingdom-aligned individual by any evidence available. His roster placement at rank 292 s
Hubplanning/command-center/22-daniel-kokotajlo.md
IMPORTANT DISAMBIGUATIONThere is a DIFFERENT Daniel Kokotajlo who is a British filmmaker (born ~1981, from Manchester) who directed the 2018 film "Apostasy" about Jehovah's Witnesses. The AI safety researcher Daniel Kokotajl
Kingdom alignment score25/100 — moral courage and truth-telling align with faith values, but no personal faith signal
Known forForfeiting ~$1.7–2M in OpenAI equity (85% of family net worth) to refuse non-disparagement agreement
Mined byC3 window, S1334 LAST RUN
Moral frameworkConsequentialist/utilitarian; AI safety; truth-telling over personal gain
Net worthModest — forfeited 85% of family net worth ($1.7–2M)
OpenAI equity forfeited~$1.7–2M vested equity
Packetplanning/excavation-packets/022-daniel-kokotajlo_PACKET.md
PreviousGovernance/Safety Researcher, OpenAI (2022–April 2024)
Profilewar-room/profiles/daniel-kokotajlo.md
Rank292 (Standard Tier) \Session: 1326 \Date: 2026-06-12
RecognitionTIME100 AI 2024
Religious affiliationNone confirmed; likely secular/rationalist (LessWrong community)
Search terms usedDaniel Kokotajlo
Slugdaniel-kokotajlo
SourceClaude conversation exports (/mnt/data/claude-export/conversations.json, /mnt/data/carter-claude-export-old/conversations.json)
Source LinksDossier · Top300 · Packet · [Profile](war-r
Source URLs- https://aiwi.org/case-studies/right-to-warn-and-daniel-kokotajlo/
Stated dreamEnsure that the development of AGI is governed responsibly — that the people building the most powerful technology in history are held accountable to humanity's interests, not just their own
TierStandard
Timestamp2026-06-16T16:46Z
TitleIndependent AI Safety Researcher (formerly OpenAI Governance)
Top-300 Dossierplanning/top300/dossiers/daniel-kokotajlo.md
WarmthKNOWN
Warmth Scoreknown-via-path
WhyResearch profile with background, wealth, faith alignment, and engagement data.
Why he belongs on the listKokotajlo represents moral courage at the frontier of AI — the most consequential technology of our time. His sacrifice (85% net worth to speak truth) is a secular expression of what faith communities

SOURCES

11 files synthesized from the canonical estate:

  • 00_022-daniel-kokotajlo.md (40,402 bytes) ← planning/command-center/022-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 01_442-daniel-kokotajlo.md (40,250 bytes) ← planning/command-center/442-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 02_daniel-kokotajlo_PACKET.md (28,416 bytes) ← planning/harvest/daniel-kokotajlo_PACKET.md
  • 03_022-daniel-kokotajlo_PACKET.md (28,130 bytes) ← planning/excavation-packets/022-daniel-kokotajlo_PACKET.md
  • 04_daniel-kokotajlo.md (20,384 bytes) ← planning/harvest/daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 05_22-daniel-kokotajlo.md (9,864 bytes) ← planning/command-center/22-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 06_daniel-kokotajlo.md (9,405 bytes) ← planning/wave3-dossiers/daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 07_022-daniel-kokotajlo.md (3,392 bytes) ← planning/enrichment/warmpath/022-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 08_442-daniel-kokotajlo.md (2,022 bytes) ← planning/enrichment/warmpath/442-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 09_genesis-outreach-daniel-kokotajlo.md (1,443 bytes) ← planning/harvest/genesis-outreach-daniel-kokotajlo.md
  • 10_daniel-kokotajlo.md (58 bytes) ← planning/top300/dossiers/daniel-kokotajlo.md

Generated by W16 Master Records synthesizer · 2026-06-17 · Session S1335