The roster of those leaving includes former operating chief Brad Lightcap, who departed in August to pursue new projects, and applications CEO Fidji Simo, who transitioned to an advisory role following her ongoing management of a chronic health condition. Denise Dresser, the chief revenue officer, also stepped down in August, with Dali Rajic tapped to oversee the business transition. The exodus extends deep into the technical and research wings, where the company saw the loss of Sora lead Bill Peebles and chief futurist Joshua Achiam, whose previous mission alignment team was dismantled earlier this year.
Product and safety divisions faced similar churn. Kevin Weil, who spearheaded the OpenAI for Science initiative, left to launch his own startup, while safety systems lead Johannes Heidecke departed during a structural reorganization in July. Ethics head Chloé Bakalar also exited after less than a year. Perhaps most notably, Caitlin Kalinowski resigned in March, citing ethical friction over the company’s deal with the Pentagon, specifically regarding the governance of surveillance and autonomous systems. These departures follow a significant talent drain in 2025, signaling a continued struggle for the ChatGPT maker to maintain its institutional continuity amidst rapid shifts in its product focus and corporate strategy.
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