Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart and former Facebook executive, has been appointed as CEO of Applications at OpenAI, based in California, United States. She will lead product and business operations while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman focuses on research, compute, and safety. Simo brings extensive leadership experience from roles at Meta, eBay, and Instacart.
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company headquartered in California, United States, has appointed Fidji Simo as CEO of Applications. This new executive role places her in charge of product, business, and operational strategy at the company, while Sam Altman will continue as OpenAI’s overall CEO.
OpenAI is known for its development of ChatGPT and other cutting-edge AI models, and has seen rapid expansion globally. With the introduction of a new leadership structure, Altman said the change will allow him to focus more on core areas such as research, compute, and safety, particularly as the company moves toward achieving artificial general intelligence.
Simo, a French business leader based in the US, previously served as CEO of Instacart, a popular grocery delivery app, since 2021. She is also a board member at OpenAI and Shopify, and co-founder and President of the Metrodora Foundation, which is focused on advancing care for neuroimmune disorders.
Before Instacart, she held leadership roles at Facebook (now Meta), including Head of the Facebook App, VP of Video and Monetization, and Director of Product Management. She also worked as Strategy Manager at eBay and served on the board of Cirque du Soleil.
Fidji Simo announced the transition on LinkedIn, stating her excitement about the potential of AI to impact health and other key areas. “This was an incredibly hard decision because I love this company,” Simo said of her departure from Instacart. “At the same time, my passion for AI and its potential to cure diseases was a hard opportunity to pass up.”
Sam Altman also shared his confidence in Simo’s leadership, noting her commitment to OpenAI’s mission and expressing optimism about scaling the company’s applications.
Simo’s departure from Instacart is expected to take place in the coming months, during which time the company will manage a leadership transition.
