Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of artificial general intelligence deployment and the company’s No. 2 executive, is stepping down from her full-time role to focus on her health. Simo, who had been on medical leave since April, announced on Thursday that she will transition into a part-time advisory position.
A Longer Road to Recovery
Simo’s departure follows a three-month medical leave, which she initiated in April due to a severe exacerbation of a chronic neuroimmune condition she has managed for seven years. In a note shared on X, Simo explained that her recovery process has proven to be significantly more complex than she initially anticipated.
“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 wrote. She emphasized the importance of self-care, noting that while she has always found purpose in her work, she now recognizes that grit and endurance are not the only skills required for long-term impact.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed his support for her decision, stating on X: “I am really sad about this and very grateful for all Fidji has done for OpenAI, and even grateful for her friendship and who she is as a person. We all wish her the best for a speedy recovery. This sucks.”
Leadership and Structural Shifts
Simo joined OpenAI in May 2025 as CEO of Applications, a role created to consolidate the company’s business and product operations. Reporting directly to Altman, her appointment triggered a broader organizational shift where key executives—including COO Brad Lightcap, CFO Sarah Friar, and CPO Kevin Weil—began reporting to her, allowing Altman to focus on research, compute, and safety.
Simo’s tenure was marked by efforts to instill focus within the company, including a directive to employees to avoid “side quests.” She also spearheaded the acquisition of the tech podcast TBPN. Prior to joining OpenAI, Simo served as the CEO of Instacart and held leadership roles at Meta, including head of the Facebook app.
Her exit leaves a notable vacancy in the executive team as OpenAI prepares for a potential IPO. Simo had been widely regarded as a potential candidate for increased responsibilities following a public offering.
Context of Corporate Departures
Simo’s announcement coincides with a period of significant executive turnover at the company. Her original medical leave in April was announced alongside news that Chief Marketing Officer Kate Rouch was departing to recover from cancer, while COO Brad Lightcap shifted his focus to “special projects.” Kevin Weil has also since left the organization.
The current executive bench at OpenAI includes Altman, President Greg Brockman, and Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser, who joined in December. Dresser, a former CEO of Slack, is now positioned to potentially take on a more expansive role given the company’s current staffing structure.
Strategic Focus and Future Outlook
Despite her health challenges, Simo expressed continued optimism regarding the role of technology in addressing human needs. “More than ever, I believe that some of the most important opportunities for AI lie in helping people solve real problems in their daily lives: their health, their finances, their time and the everyday burdens that shape human experience,” she wrote.
OpenAI remains in an aggressive growth phase, recently launching the GPT-5.6 model family—consisting of Sol, Terra, and Luna—and a new agent, ChatGPT Work, designed to manage office tasks. These releases are part of the company’s ongoing efforts to compete with rivals like Anthropic, particularly as it navigates cooling growth in its consumer business and pushes further into coding tools.
The company has also been adjusting its internal policies to remain competitive in the AI talent war, including the elimination of vesting cliffs for new hires—a move Simo described as a way to encourage employees to take risks. These compensation changes, however, are not reported to be linked to the recent wave of executive departures.
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