OpenAI’s chief executive of AGI deployment, Fidji Simo, is leaving her full-time role at the company and transitioning to become a part-time adviser. The move comes after Simo took a monthslong medical leave due to a worsening neuroimmune condition.
“Three months ago, I had to go on medical leave after a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness I’ve lived with for seven years,” Simo wrote in a post Thursday on X. “During that time, it became clear that the road to recovery would be much longer and more complex than I had anticipated—and that I needed to focus on it fully.”
Simo joined OpenAI’s board of directors in March 2024. The following year, CEO Sam Altman hired her to take on the product and business organizations so he could focus on research and the company’s data center buildout. Previously, Simo was the CEO of Instacart and head of the Facebook app at Meta.
Shortly before starting at OpenAI, Simo experienced a significant health relapse. She was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, in 2019. “For my entire time here, I’ve postponed medical tests and new therapies to stay completely focused on the job and not miss a single day of work,” she told OpenAI staff in a memo back in April, announcing her temporary departure. “It’s now clear that I’ve pushed a little too far and I really need to try new interventions to stabilize my health.”
News of Simo’s medical leave came amid a larger executive shakeup that saw Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s former COO, transition to a role overseeing special projects. OpenAI president and cofounder Greg Brockman took over OpenAI’s product strategy. In the months since Simo stepped back from OpenAI, the company further reorganized its product teams, positioning Thibault Sottiaux as head of the company’s core products, including ChatGPT.
OpenAI is trying to concentrate on a few core products ahead of a planned IPO, now expected to come in 2027. The company is reportedly targeting a valuation of $1 trillion. As part of this focus strategy, OpenAI has merged teams working on ChatGPT, the company’s AI-powered browser, and its AI coding agent to build a “superapp.” The company has also shut down far-flung bets like Sora.
Earlier on Thursday, OpenAI unveiled the biggest product update to ChatGPT since its release. The company launched an AI agent in ChatGPT that can take action on behalf of users, moving local files and writing code, and redesigned the look of its desktop app. With the updated product, OpenAI hopes to give ChatGPT users some features previously limited to Codex, such as the ability to create bespoke software projects with AI.
