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


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.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Apple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secrets

    Apple has sued OpenAI, alleging that engineers stole Apple secrets to advance the AI startup’s hardware plans. In its complaint, Apple says it uncovered “a pattern of theft of Apple’s…

    Ransomware negotiator hired to represent victims was working for the attackers

    “As part of his duties, the defendant was provided with details regarding the attack and information regarding the ransom demand and typically the victim’s applicable insurance coverage and negotiating strategy,”…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Apple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secrets

    Apple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secrets

    Crews again drain Trump’s troubled reflecting pool | Washington DC

    Crews again drain Trump’s troubled reflecting pool | Washington DC

    Telemundo Deportes celebra el legado de Tu Momento, Tu Jugada desde Rockefeller Center

    Telemundo Deportes celebra el legado de Tu Momento, Tu Jugada desde Rockefeller Center

    Tobacco Road Comes to Vegas: Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson deliver in Summer League showdown

    Tobacco Road Comes to Vegas: Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson deliver in Summer League showdown

    All the Canadian Politics!

    TSX, U.S. markets rise ahead of earnings season amid U.S.-Iran tensions

    TSX, U.S. markets rise ahead of earnings season amid U.S.-Iran tensions