Fidji Simo stepping down from OpenAI leadership role after extended medical leave for chronic illness

OpenAI's CEO of AGI Deployment Fidji Simo Is Stepping Down

The move comes after Simo took significant medical leave. She will stay on as a part-time advisor. 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 months-long 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 said in a post 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. Got a Tip?Are you a current or former OpenAI employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at mzeff.88 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 initial 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.

Fidji Simo steps down from leading OpenAI's AGI work due to illness

Simo is transitioning to a role as a 'part-time advisor.' She took a medical leave a few months ago. OpenAI's Fidji Simo is departing her full-time role as the company's AGI chief and is transitioning to being a "part-time advisor," she said on X. The news follows Simo's original announcement in April that she would take a few weeks of medical leave due to a neuroimmune condition, shortly after she had taken on the AGI chief title. (She had formerly been the company's CEO of applications). Around the same time, COO Brad Lightcap also stepped down from his role to focus on "special projects," and OpenAI CMO Kate Rouch also stepped down in order to focus on her health. Rouch planned to return to a "more narrowly scoped role" when her health allowed for it, Simo said at the time. Simo's announcement in April also kicked off months of announcements of C-suite changes. While Simo was out on medical leave, OpenAI president Greg Brockman was to take charge of product, including leading OpenAI's super app efforts, while CSO Jason Kwon, CFO Sarah Friar, and CRO Denise Dresser led the business side of things. But about a month later, in mid-May, things changed again, with a company reorganization: Brockman officially took charge of OpenAI's product strategy and "scaling," leading four different pillars: core product and platform; critical enterprise industries; consumer (i.e., health, commerce, and personal finance); and core infrastructure, ads, data science, and growth. In a memo viewed by The Verge in May, Brockman wrote that the reorganization would help the company prioritize its AI agent goals by combining its products to "invest in a single agentic platform and to merge ChatGPT and Codex into one unified agentic experience for all." "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 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 ... It has been a jarring experience to spend my days helping build the future while simultaneously navigating a disabling disease that still has no cure." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X that he was "really sad about this" and grateful to Simo.

OpenAI exec Fidji Simo says she will step down and transition to part-time advisor

Fidji Simo, OpenAI's product and business chief, on Thursday announced she is stepping down from her role at the artificial intelligence company to focus on recovery after a "severe exacerbation of a chronic illness." Simo was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, in 2019, and she stepped away from OpenAI in April for a medical leave. OpenAI President Greg Brockman took over product responsibilities in Simo's absence. "When I went on leave, many people told me I was courageous for prioritizing my health," Simo wrote in a post on X on Thursday. "The truth is that I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before."

OpenAI exec Fidji Simo to step down to part-time role By Investing.com

Investing.com-- OpenAI head of products and business Fidji Simo said on Thursday that she will step down and transition to a part-time advisory role, citing complications from a chronic illness. Simo said in a social media post she had to go on extended medical leave after a "severe exacerbation of a chronic illness" three months ago, and that recovery was now expected to be longer and more complex than initially expected. Get more breaking news on top AI companies by subscribing to InvestingPro Simo was OpenAI's no.2 executive after CEO Sam Altman, with her exit coming as the artificial intelligence startup prepares for a hotly anticipated initial public offering either this year or next. She had previously served as a high-level executive at Facebook and was also the CEO of online grocery app Instacart. At OpenAI, Simo had overseen the company's consumer offerings, and had also led efforts to build a "superapp," which the company unveiled earlier in the day. OpenAI has been racing to catch up with rivals such as Anthropic, after growth in ChatGPT largely stalled this year. The company is also in the process of overhauling its finances and reducing its cash burn, as it heads for a public market debut.

OpenAI's AGI deployment chief Fidji Simo to step down after medical leave

July 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's CEO of AGI deployment Fidji Simo said on Thursday she will step down from her full-time role and pivot to a part-time advisory position at the ChatGPT maker, following an extended medical leave for a 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. 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 said in a post on X. Simo, previously chief executive of Instacart and the head of the Facebook app at Meta, was among the three directors that joined OpenAI's board in March 2024 after Sam Altman returned as CEO. "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," Altman said in an X post. Simo's exit from the senior role also comes as OpenAI gears up to go public amid insatiable demand for the technology. In the run-up to the IPO, OpenAI executives have been focusing on research areas including robotics and building artificial general intelligence as the company looked to roll more of its capabilities into a single super-app. To reflect that shift, Simo's title was changed from CEO of applications to CEO of AGI deployment. OpenAI unveiled the long-awaited super-app on Thursday, showcasing a new AI agent meant to help white-collar workers access the power of coding tools without the sticker shock. Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal memo, that Simo's product and business responsibilities will be split between OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. In a LinkedIn post last year, Simo said she had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, and had launched efforts to improve research and care for such conditions. POTS is a rare condition with no known cure in which the heart shrinks and can no longer maintain normal blood pressure. Patients with POTS are prone to lightheadedness, fainting and experience uncomfortable, rapid increases in their heart rate. "For now, my focus is recovery. But my belief in the potential of technology to solve deeply human problems has never been stronger," Simo said on Thursday. (Reporting by Fabiola Arámburo in Mexico City; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)