OpenAI Appoints New CEO of Applications

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced today that he has hired Fidji Simo, the current Chair and CEO of Instacart, as the company’s new CEO of Applications. Simo will remain CEO of Instacart for the next few months and remain Chair of the Board, but she will report directly to Altman once she starts her new role at OpenAI later this year.

Before joining Instacart four years ago, Fidji worked at Facebook for ten years, where she was VP of Video, Games, and Monetization and then head of the Facebook app. Fidji already had a seat on OpenAI’s board of directors alongside Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D’Angelo, and other industry veterans, and she will now lead the product, business, and other company functions as part of her new executive position.

So excited to be joining @openai and contributing to its mission. Thank you @sama for the opportunity- it will be such a privilege to work with such a talented team on one of the most important and ambitious endeavors in history.
I’ll remain CEO of @Instacart for the next few… https://t.co/hDV3QhQrxj

— Fidji Simo (@fidjissimo) May 8, 2025

“In her new role, Fidji will focus on enabling our “traditional” company functions to scale as we enter a next phase of growth. I’m passionate about many of these areas and I will stay closely involved with key company decisions. Fidji brings a rare blend of leadership, product and operational expertise, and genuine commitment to ensuring our technology benefits everyone.” Altman said today.

Before announcing these leadership changes, Altman announced on Monday that OpenAI would no longer seek to transition to a for-profit company following discussions with civic leaders. “OpenAI was founded as a non-profit, is today a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit, and going forward will remain a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit,” Altman said in a letter to employees.