Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications and its second-highest-ranking executive, told staff on July 9 that she is leaving her full-time role and moving into a part-time advisory position, according to her own statement and multiple people familiar with the announcement.
Why she’s leaving
Simo went on medical leave in April after a severe flare-up of a chronic neuroimmune condition she has managed since 2019, later identified as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. In a post announcing her departure, she said the leave had “proven longer and harder than expected” and that she was only stepping back now because she had “failed to make it many times before.”
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman responded publicly, calling the news personally difficult and saying the company was “grateful for all Fidji has done for OpenAI” while wishing her a speedy recovery.
A short but consequential tenure
Simo joined OpenAI in May 2025 into a newly created role overseeing business and product operations, with chief operating officer Brad Lightcap, chief financial officer Sarah Friar and chief product officer Kevin Weil reporting to her. The position was widely seen as OpenAI’s attempt to build out an executive layer to manage the company’s rapid commercial expansion as it moved beyond ChatGPT into enterprise products, advertising and a widening set of consumer applications.
Her full-time exit adds to a string of leadership changes at OpenAI this year, including departures and role shuffles among other senior executives, at a moment when the company is also weighing a possible public listing.
What happens now
OpenAI has not named a permanent successor to the Applications chief role. In the interim, Simo’s responsibilities are being redistributed among existing executives while she continues in an advisory capacity, according to reporting on the transition.