Fidji Simo leaves full-time OpenAI role as products shift
Fidji Simo is leaving her full-time role leading OpenAI’s product and work and will become a part-time adviser. The change follows a months-long medical leave after a chronic neuroimmune illness became worse, and she now plans to focus on recovery. Simo was diagnosed with POTS in 2019 and had delayed tests and treatment while working at OpenAI.
She joined OpenAI’s board in March 2024, then Sam Altman hired her in 2025 to run product and teams while he focused on research and . Before OpenAI, she was CEO of Instacart and led the Facebook app at Meta. During her leave, OpenAI moved former COO Brad Lightcap to special , put Greg Brockman in charge of product strategy, and made Thibault Sottiaux the head of core products including ChatGPT.
OpenAI is narrowing its focus before a planned 2027 IPO, with a reported $1 trillion target, by combining teams working on ChatGPT, an AI browser, and a into a larger all-in-one app while cutting side efforts such as Sora. On the same day, OpenAI announced a major ChatGPT update with an AI agent that can move , write code, and bring some Codex-style software-building features into ChatGPT.
Key points
- Fidji Simo is leaving her full-time OpenAI role and becoming a part-time adviser.
- Her decision follows medical leave for a chronic illness that needs more focused recovery time.
- Greg Brockman is now leading product strategy, and Thibault Sottiaux leads core products such as ChatGPT.
- OpenAI is combining ChatGPT, an AI browser, and a into a broader all-in-one app direction.
- The new ChatGPT update adds an AI agent that can move files, write code, and offer some Codex-like software-building help.