OpenAI Appoints Fidji Simo as Head of Applications Division
AI research organization OpenAI has appointed grocery delivery platform Instacart’s CEO, Fidji Simo, to lead its Applications division as CEO Sam Altman steps back from day-to-day product oversight to focus on research and safety. Altman, who remains CEO, said the change will allow him to prioritize “research, compute, and safety,” areas he described as “critical as we approach superintelligence.”
“Fidji is exceptional,” Altman tweeted Wednesday. “We have worked together on OpenAI for the past year and I have observed her deep commitment to our mission.” The move marks a restructuring of OpenAI’s leadership as it accelerates efforts toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). “In her new role, Fidji will focus on enabling our ‘traditional’ company functions to scale as we enter a next phase of growth,” Altman said in the company announcement.
Simo, who has led Instacart since 2021, will remain in that role during a transition period and then shift to Chair of the board. Before joining Instacart, Simo spent a decade at Meta (then Facebook), where she served as Head of the Facebook App. In that role, she led development across core features including News Feed, Stories, Groups, Marketplace, and Facebook Live.
“It will be such a privilege to work with such a talented team on one of the most important and ambitious endeavors in history,” she tweeted following the announcement, also citing her admiration for OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman as a factor in her decision.
Restructuring Amid Organizational Developments
The reshuffle comes amid broader organizational and legal developments at OpenAI. The company is converting its for-profit unit into a public benefit corporation while maintaining nonprofit control, a structure meant to ensure public interest is prioritized alongside investor returns. Microsoft, its largest backer, is reportedly waiting for further clarity before endorsing the plan.
Altman’s World Faces Scrutiny
The leadership changes at OpenAI come amid growing scrutiny of Altman’s crypto-powered biometric ID project, World. Co-founded by Altman and Alex Blania, the project aims to verify identity using iris scans in exchange for its WLD token, but regulators are increasingly pushing back. On Monday, Kenya’s High Court ordered the World Foundation to delete all biometric data collected in the country. The court found the data had been obtained without valid consent and criticized the use of crypto as an inducement.
Days earlier, Indonesian authorities suspended World’s operations entirely, citing violations of electronic system regulations, including operating without proper registration and using another entity’s credentials. Despite international setbacks, the project recently launched in six major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Miami, and Austin.