Fidji Simo, the current CEO of Instacart, is set to assume a significant leadership role at OpenAI as its new “CEO of Applications,” effective August 18th. This newly created position, first announced by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in May, will see Simo leading at least one-third of the company and reporting directly to Altman.
Altman’s reorganization aims to allow him to concentrate more on OpenAI’s core pillars of research and compute, including critical safety systems. In contrast, Simo’s primary responsibilities will revolve around product and growth, focusing on scaling and expanding the use cases for OpenAI’s technology.
In her initial memo to OpenAI staff, also published on the company’s blog, Simo conveyed her enthusiasm for the potential of AI, particularly highlighting AI-led healthcare breakthroughs. She elaborated on her belief in AI’s capacity to assist with career and life coaching, foster creative expression, offer time-saving solutions, provide medical second opinions, reclaim personal time, and deliver personalized tutoring.
Simo also addressed a critical societal concern, stating that major technological advancements can either broaden access to power or “further concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few — usually people who already have money, credentials, and connections.” She emphasized that the decisions made by OpenAI and other AI leaders now “will shape whether the coming transformation leads to greater empowerment for all, or greater concentration of wealth and power for the few.”
Simo’s appointment to this executive role follows her joining OpenAI’s board in March 2024, a time when Sam Altman also regained his board seat after an internal investigation. According to Altman’s May announcement, the applications department at OpenAI “brings together a group of existing business and operational teams responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world.” He further clarified that Simo’s role will be instrumental in “enabling our ‘traditional’ company functions to scale as we enter a next phase of growth.” Simo will continue as Instacart’s CEO through its early August earnings before transitioning to OpenAI.
