Fidji Simo steps down after medical leave, Greg Brockman takes over

Fidji Simo, the CEO of OpenAI’s AGI Deployment division, has announced she is stepping down following an extended medical leave. Co-founder Greg Brockman will absorb her responsibilities, taking control of both product teams and the company’s global go-to-market strategy.

Her exit is one of several high-profile departures rattling OpenAI’s executive suite this year. According to a report by Wired, Johannes Heidecke, the company’s head of safety systems, has also told staff he is leaving, immediately after an internal reorganisation merged OpenAI’s safety and research divisions. Chief Research Officer Mark Chen said in an internal memo that safety teams would now be consolidated under Mia Glaese, who takes on an expanded role as VP of Research and Safety, with Saachi Jain stepping in as interim head of safety systems.

Just days before Heidecke’s announcement, OpenAI’s Chief Futurist, Joshua Achiam, also revealed he was leaving after nine years of safety research.

The safety division isn’t the only part of the company seeing an exodus. In April, a wave of leaders across video, science and marketing departed as OpenAI reportedly reels in costs ahead of a highly anticipated IPO, according to CNBC. Bill Peebles, the mastermind behind Sora, exited after OpenAI shuttered the short-form video app. Kevin Weil, VP of Science, left as the company dismantled its dedicated science division. Kate Rouch, Chief Marketing Officer, stepped down in April to focus on her recovery from cancer.

Even as executives leave, OpenAI has also picked up top talent, including Google’s Noam Shazeer, a co-lead of Gemini AI, who joined in June.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by Loic Le Meur