Instacart CEO Fidji Simo is set to take on a new role as Application CEO at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, as announced on Thursday. Simo, who is already a board member at OpenAI, will be transitioning out of her role at Instacart over the next few months to join the AI company full-time later this year.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that he will continue in his current role, overseeing various verticals including research, compute, and applications. Simo will directly report to Altman in her new position at OpenAI.
Altman praised Simo’s qualifications for leading the Applications group at OpenAI, stating that she has already made significant contributions to the company during her time as a board member. He mentioned that Simo will also assist in scaling traditional company functions, although specifics were not provided.
Simo brings a wealth of experience in product management and monetization to her new role. Prior to her time at Instacart, she spent over a decade at Meta (formerly Facebook), where she played key roles in launching ads on the News Feed, leading monetization for the Facebook app, and contributing to the development of Facebook Video and its advertising business. She left Meta as head of the Facebook app and played a pivotal role in taking Instacart public in 2023.
In a statement, Simo expressed her excitement and sense of responsibility in joining OpenAI at a crucial moment. She emphasized her commitment to shaping AI applications for the public good and accelerating human potential like never before.
As she transitions to her new role, Simo will continue to serve as chair of the Instacart board. A new CEO for Instacart will be announced soon, as per a letter she wrote to Instacart employees.
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