Fidji Simo, OpenAI's head of product and business, announced Thursday that she is stepping down from her full-time role after a chronic illness derailed her recovery, and will transition to a part-time advisory position at the AI startup.
After stepping away in April, Simo said the path back to her full-time position had been foreclosed by a worsening of her condition. "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," she said on X $TWTR. Simo was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, in 2019.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to her announcement on X, writing: "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. we all wish her the best for a speedy recovery. this sucks."
When she came aboard in 2025, a broad set of managerial duties shifted her way from Altman, among them oversight of the chief financial officer and chief revenue officer, as she took charge of the applications business. Product oversight passed to OpenAI President Greg Brockman once she departed on leave. Going forward, The Wall Street Journal reports that Brockman, CFO Sarah Friar, and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon will absorb her portfolio between them, while Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser moves into Brockman's reporting chain.
Simo reflected on the difficulty of the decision in her post, writing: "The truth is that I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before." She described how, roughly two years into her illness, Facebook $META extended an offer of a full year's medical leave that she rejected outright — a decision she has since come to regret.
Simo's departure comes at a significant moment for OpenAI. The April announcement of her medical leave was part of a wider organizational shake-up: It also brought news that CMO Kate Rouch was departing to pursue cancer treatment and that COO Brad Lightcap was transitioning out of his operating role into one focused on special projects. Kevin Weil, who had overseen science research, also left OpenAI that same month.
The leadership changes have come as OpenAI prepares for a possible IPO. Simo was widely expected to be in line for an expanded leadership position upon any public offering, and her exit now hands Altman a significant succession challenge at a pivotal juncture.
Her resume before OpenAI included a stint as Instacart's chief executive, during which she steered the grocery-delivery company to its 2023 public market debut, as well as more than ten years at Meta where her roles culminated in leading the Facebook app.