OpenAI’s Fidji Simo Steps Down While Battling Chronic Illness
“It became clear that the road to recovery would be much longer and more complex than I had anticipated,” the businesswoman writes
Alyssa Ray
Fri, 10 July 2026 at 7:10 am GMT+5:30
3 min read
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of AGI Deployment, shared Thursday that she was stepping down from her role amid a battle with a chronic illness
The businesswoman issued the update in a lengthy statement posted on X, where she confirmed that she would be transitioning to a part-time advisor position
“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,” she wrote. “During that time, 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.”
Simo, who previously served as the Head of the Facebook App, continued. “When I went on leave, many people told me I was courageous for prioritizing my health. The truth is that I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before. Over the years, doctors, friends, colleagues and loved ones encouraged me to slow down. Two years after I got sick, Facebook offered me the opportunity to take a full year of medical leave. I didn’t even pause to consider it. I immediately said no.”
As Simo went on, she recalled Mark Zuckerberg encouraging her to “play the long game,” adding, “I wish I had listened.”
“Looking back, I realize that a lot of what made me successful also made this decision incredibly difficult,”she said. “I grew up believing that opportunities were precious and that when they appeared, you grabbed them with both hands. That mindset carried me from a small town in southern France to opportunities I never could have imagined. By the time I turned 40, I had already gotten to do more than I’d ever dreamed possible as a kid growing up in Sète.”
Per Simo, her position at OpenAI “felt like a role that my entire career had been building toward, which made this decision even harder.”
“But what I’m learning now is that grit and endurance are not the only skills required to have impact over decades,” she reflected. “Sometimes the harder thing is to stop, listen and trust that taking care of yourself today makes it possible to contribute for much longer tomorrow. This experience has also strengthened my conviction about why this work matters. It has been a jarring experience to spend my days helping build the future while simultaneously navigating a disabling disease that still has no cure.”
However, Simo did not clarify what exactly she has been battling, instead noting that she’s spent the last several years “dealing with symptoms, treatments, insurance, uncertainty and all the invisible work that comes with being a patient.”
