Fidji Simo, the executive leading OpenAI’s AGI, product and business operations and spearheading its nascent advertising push, is leaving her full-time position.
She announced the move on LinkedIn on July 9, confirming she will transition to a part-time advisor role.
“Three months ago, I had to go on medical leave after a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness I’ve lived with for seven years. During that time, it became clear that the road to recovery would be much longer than anticipated—and that I needed to focus on it fully,” Simo wrote.
Simo originally joined OpenAI in 2025 to lead the AI lab’s application business, reporting to CEO Sam Altman. She took on the title of CEO, AGI Deployment earlier this year.
The former Instacart CEO was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in 2019 and took medical leave from OpenAI in April 2026, with the AI lab’s president, Greg Brockman, assuming her product responsibilities in the interim.
In her most recent role, Simo oversaw OpenAI’s monetization push beyond ChatGPT subscriptions, including the company’s closely watched foray into advertising.
Simo’s decision to step down follows former CMO Kate Rouch’s exit from OpenAI earlier in 2026 to focus on cancer recovery and longtime chief futurist Joshua Achiam’s departure earlier in July.
The leadership changes come as OpenAI prepares for a potential 2027 IPO. The company confidentially filed with the SEC in June, one week after rival Anthropic did the same.
OpenAI’s growth reportedly cooled earlier this year, with the company missing internal revenue targets—one reason it has leaned aggressively into coding tools, an area where it still trails Anthropic.
Simo previously helped take Instacart public and spent over a decade in leadership roles at Meta.
“It has been a jarring experience to spend my days helping build the future while simultaneously navigating a disabling disease that has no cure,” Simo wrote in her LinkedIn note, saying she has spent “countless hours in doctors’ offices, dealing with symptoms, treatments, insurance, uncertainty, and all the invisible work that comes with being a patient.”
ADWEEK has reached out to OpenAI for comment. At the time of publication, the company had not responded.
