OpenAI's leadership exodus continues as Brockman's influence grows
More than a dozen executives have left OpenAI since the start of the year, including data center chief Chris Malone, while cofounder Greg Brockman's role within the company keeps expanding. The shake-up unfolds as OpenAI prepares for a planned public listing.
OpenAI, one of the leading players in artificial intelligence and a company that has recently seen strong user growth, continues to face a wave of high-level executive departures. Since the beginning of the year, more than a dozen senior figures have left, including CEO Sam Altman's top deputy, the chief operating officer, a chief revenue officer, the chief marketing officer, and several team leads.
It recently emerged that Chris Malone, the company's head of data centers, departed last week after joining in March 2024. Some exits are attributed to health issues, while others stem from an internal reorganization Altman has pushed to cut costly side projects and focus on revenue-generating work. Malone's departure stands out, however, since OpenAI's compute investment is widely seen as its key edge over rivals.
OpenAI said the move followed a restructuring of its infrastructure team, now led by vice president Sachin Katti, who reports to president Greg Brockman. The change suggests Brockman, an OpenAI cofounder, is regaining authority he largely lost in 2019 when Altman became CEO. According to Karen Hao's book "Empire of AI," Brockman previously played a role in stirring internal tensions, including the 2023 episode when the board briefly removed Altman as chief executive.
IPO looms over the shake-up
In June, OpenAI confidentially filed paperwork with the SEC for a potential public offering. Going public could help the capital-intensive company raise funds, but would also require disclosing financials around the same time as rival Anthropic, which is reportedly profitable, unlike OpenAI. OpenAI's IPO is not expected before 2027.
Amid the ongoing turnover, the company will need to fill leadership gaps while trimming costs and boosting revenue ahead of any eventual stock market debut.
