CEO of OpenAI Distribution of AGI, There is no compensationhe is leaving his permanent role at the company and is transitioning to a part-time consultant. The move has come after Simo took a medical leave of several months due to his worsening neurological condition.
“Three months ago, I had to go on medical leave after a serious illness that I have lived with for seven years,” Simo wrote in post Thursday at X. “At that point, it became clear that the road to recovery was going to be much longer and more difficult than I had anticipated—and that I needed to be fully focused.”
Simo joined OpenAI’s board of directors in March 2024. The following year, CEO Sam Altman hired him to take over products and business organizations so he could focus on research and building the company’s data center. Previously, Simo was CEO of Instacart and head of the Facebook program at Meta.
Shortly before starting OpenAI, Simo experienced a comeback to health. He was diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, in 2019. “Throughout my time here, I’ve put off medical tests and new treatments in order to fully focus on work and not miss a day of work,” he told OpenAI staff in a memo back in April, announcing his temporary departure. “Now it’s clear that I’ve pushed it a little too far and I need to try new steps to stabilize my health.”
The news of Simo’s medical leave came amid a major executive shakeup that saw Brad Lightcap, former COO of OpenAI, transition to the role of overseeing special projects. OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman he took the chance OpenAI’s product strategy. In the months since Simo returned from OpenAI, the company reorganized its product teamsspace Thibault Sottiaux as head of the company’s core products, including ChatGPT.
OpenAI is trying to focus on a few core products before the planned IPO, which is now expected to come in 2027. The company is reported targeting a $1 trillion valuation. As part of this focus strategy, OpenAI has combined the teams working on ChatGPT, the company’s AI-powered browser, with its AI scripting agency to create a “superapp.” The company also has make distant bets like Sora.
Earlier on Thursday, OpenAI launched the biggest product update to ChatGPT since its release. The company launched an AI agent in ChatGPT that can act on behalf of users, transfer local files and code, and redesign the look of its desktop app. With the updated product, OpenAI hopes to offer ChatGPT users some of the features previously reserved for Codex, such as the ability to create AI-suggested software projects.
