Unexpected change in OpenAI leadership: Fidji Simo steps down

A major leadership change has occurred at OpenAI, the world's leading AI company. Fidji Simo, the company's second-in-command and CEO of Apps, has announced she is stepping down from her full-time role due to health issues. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal. Techcrunch.com reports this.

In an official letter to employees, Ms. Simo stated that her recovery process is taking longer and is more complex than expected. Consequently, she will continue her work at the company only as a part-time advisor. This decision comes as an unexpected blow to OpenAI, as she was a key link integrating the company's business and product operations.

Strategic changes within the company

Fidji Simo joined the OpenAI board of directors in 2024 and was appointed CEO of Apps in May 2025. Working directly under Sam Altman, she oversaw top-level executives including COO Brad Lightcap, CFO Sarah Friar, and CPO Kevin Weil. Her arrival allowed Sam Altman to dedicate more time to research, compute power, and safety issues.

In April, Simo announced she was taking medical leave due to a recurrence of a neuroimmune condition. At that time, several other company executives, including CMO Kate Rouch, also left their posts to recover from cancer. Such consecutive personnel changes have inevitably affected stability within OpenAI's leadership.

Future plans and competition

Before joining OpenAI, Fidji Simo served as CEO of Instacart, where she prepared the company for its successful 2023 IPO. She also spent over a decade at Meta, notably as the head of the Facebook app. Experts had emphasized that Simo's experience would be crucial for OpenAI's anticipated IPO process.

OpenAI is currently competing with its main rival, Anthropic. With ChatGPT's growth rate slowing slightly late last year and internal revenue targets not being met, the company is focusing on new areas such as programming tools. However, Anthropic currently maintains the lead in this sector.

Sam Altman must now find a suitable successor for Simo. This is a critical task, especially as the company seeks to strengthen its work with corporate clients and prepares for a public market entry. While Simo remaining as an advisor will help with knowledge transfer, a gap in daily operational management is inevitable.