OpenAI’s AGI leader steps down temporarily.

OpenAI is experiencing another shift in its leadership team, as detailed in an internal memo. Fidji Simo, who recently held the position of CEO of AGI deployment, is taking a medical leave for several weeks due to a neuroimmune condition. During her absence, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will oversee product initiatives, including the development of the company’s super app. On the business front, CSO Jason Kwon, CFO Sarah Friar, and CRO Denise Dresser will take on leadership roles.

Additionally, CMO Kate Rouch is stepping down to prioritize her health, with Gary Briggs stepping in temporarily to manage marketing efforts. He will report to Kwon, and together with Rouch, they will search for her successor. Rouch intends to return to a more focused role once her health permits.

Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO, is also transitioning to a new position centered on special projects, reporting to CEO Sam Altman. Dresser will assume many of his responsibilities, while the government and “OpenAI for Countries” initiatives will shift to the strategy organization.

This news follows a series of public relations challenges for the company, including controversy over new terms of use with the Pentagon and the discontinuation of its AI video generation tool, Sora, to reallocate resources toward competing in enterprise and coding tools. The chief communications officer, Hannah Wong, left her position earlier this year.

Recently, OpenAI announced its acquisition of a popular online talk show, with Simo expressing a desire to foster constructive discussions about the impact of AI.

In a statement, an OpenAI spokesperson emphasized the strength of the leadership team and their commitment to advancing research, expanding their user base, and supporting enterprise applications.

Here is the full text of Simo’s memo:
> Hi team,
> I hope you are all having a great break. I wanted to share three updates in the AGI Deployment org with you today.
> First, Brad has decided to transition into a new role focused on special projects, including our DeployCo effort, reporting to Sam. He’s been our go-to for complex deals and investments across the company, and this shift allows him to focus all his energy there. Thank you so much, Brad, for everything you’ve done as COO. We’re all deeply grateful for what you’ve built and driven.
> Denise will step in to take over Brad’s scope, with the exception of our government and OpenAI for Countries work, which will be brought into our Strategy org. Denise will report directly to me. Denise has decades of enterprise experience, including several senior roles at Salesforce, most recently as CEO of Slack. She is the perfect person to lead all of our commercial teams into the next chapter. Please join me in congratulating Denise on her new role; I couldn’t be more excited to partner even more closely with her.
> Second, Kate has decided to step down as CMO to focus on her cancer recovery, and plans to return to a different, more narrowly scoped role when her health allows. Gary will lead Marketing until we hire a new CMO, and will report to Jason. Gary and Jason will lead the search for Kate’s replacement, with Kate’s help while she’s on leave. We are so grateful to Kate for having built up an amazing marketing team in record time and having made our brands and products shine on the biggest stages like the Super Bowl. While we will miss her brilliance leading marketing, and while it was an agonizing decision for her, I am so glad that she’s focusing on her health. Please join me in sending her all the healing vibes.
> Third, a personal update. I have to take medical leave for the next several weeks. I have done everything possible to try to avoid it, but sadly my body isn’t cooperating.
> As I shared when I joined, I had a relapse of my neuroimmune condition a few weeks before starting the job. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since, and the last month has been particularly rough health-wise. 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. I took time off for the first time two weeks before the break for some medical tests, and it’s now clear that I’ve pushed a little too far and I really need to try new interventions to stabilize my health.
> The timing is maddening because we have such an exciting roadmap ahead that the team is executing on, and I hate to miss even a minute of it. But the company is in great hands; we have an excellent leadership team that’s ready to step up. While I’m out, Greg will handle product; we have a great strategy to execute on and everyone is focused on this. On the business side, Jason, Sarah, and Denise will hold down the fort. Really grateful to them for giving me the space to get back on my feet.
> I can’t wait to be back in the arena with you all soon.
> Much love to you all.