OpenAI Applications Chief Fidji Simo Steps Down Due to Illness

Simo said in a Thursday (July 9) post on X that she had been on medical leave for three months, that she learned that her road to recovery would be longer and more complex than she had expected, and that she shared her decision to step down with the OpenAI team Thursday. “I’m deeply grateful to [OpenAI CEO Sam Altman], [OpenAI President and Co-founder Greg Brockman] and the OpenAI board for their support during this time and for offering a way for me to continue contributing to the mission without sacrificing my chances of recovery,” Simo said in the post. “I’m also so thankful to my team and the many extraordinary colleagues I’ve had the privilege to build alongside.” Altman said in a reply 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.” Altman announced in May 2025 that Simo, who was CEO of Instacart at the time, would join OpenAI as CEO of Applications later that year after transitioning from her post at Instacart. When announcing the move, Altman said it was made in response to OpenAI’s evolving role as it was becoming a “global product company,” an infrastructure company and a nonprofit. Altman said: “Applications brings together a group of existing business and operational teams responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world, and Fidji is uniquely qualified to lead this group.” The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Simo joined OpenAI in August, took on many managerial responsibilities from Altman, and was expected to take on an even larger role at the company after its planned initial public offering. Bloomberg reported Thursday that Simo’s responsibilities will be divided up between Brockman, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon. The report added that as a part-time adviser, Simo will focus on the company’s consumer products, ads and health products. In her Thursday post on X, Simo said that after seven years of dealing with her chronic illness and navigating healthcare, “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.”