OpenAI, long regarded as a frontier AI lab, has experienced significant executive churn in recent months even as its products continue to gain users. The company’s latest public model, GPT-5.6, is described as among the most capable and efficient on the market. Its desktop app for agentic coding and workplace tasks added roughly 15 million subscribers in the past two months.
Who has left and why
Since the turn of the year, more than a dozen executives have departed. Exiting roles include CEO Sam Altman’s top deputy, the chief operating officer, a chief revenue officer, the chief marketing officer, and several team leads. News also broke that Chris Malone, head of data centers who joined in March 2024, left the company last week.
Some departures were attributed to health reasons; others followed a reorganization driven by Altman’s move to cut costly “side projects” and prioritize revenue-generating opportunities.
Malone’s exit and the infrastructure question
Malone’s unexplained departure is notable because OpenAI’s competitive edge over rivals like Anthropic is heavily tied to its investment in compute. OpenAI told TechCrunch that Malone’s exit resulted from a reorganization of the company’s infrastructure team, which is led by vice president Sachin Katti and reports to president Greg Brockman. Observers say it’s not uncommon for senior executives to leave when their roles are materially downgraded in a reshuffle.
Greg Brockman reasserts control
The company declined to comment broadly on the changes, but signs indicate that Greg Brockman, cofounder and president, is reasserting leadership. Brockman helped build OpenAI’s early infrastructure but was relieved of many management duties after Sam Altman became CEO in 2019. According to Karen Hao’s book Empire of AI, Brockman made important contributions to projects such as GPT-4 while also helping to seed internal rivalries that contributed to the 2023 board crisis when Altman was briefly removed as CEO. Brockman took a short sabbatical in 2024 and later returned.
Today, infrastructure and product teams report to him. As Thibault Sottiaux, who leads the company’s API and app offerings, told TechCrunch: “I like to say that everyone reports to Greg at the end of the day.”
IPO backdrop and financial pressure
In June, OpenAI said it had confidentially filed going-public disclosures with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. An IPO would supply capital to the cash-hungry lab but would also require public disclosure of financials, potentially around the same time as rival Anthropic, which is also planning a public offering. Reports indicate Anthropic is profitable, while OpenAI’s revenue is growing alongside rising losses. Current expectations place OpenAI’s IPO in 2027; companies that file confidentially typically go public within about five months, though SpaceX completed the process in under two months.
Altman’s public comments about a difficult past year and the company’s internal reorganization fit a narrative that the firm overreached with its IPO filing and is now slimming down to focus on monetization and reduce nonessential costs.
Strategic implications and next steps
A common tech startup cycle involves founders building the product and then recruiting experienced executives to scale and prepare for public markets. OpenAI’s earlier hires, such as Fidji Simo and Kevin Weil, reflected that approach; now, with Brockman’s influence growing, the company appears to be shifting again toward a go-to-market and cost-focused posture.
High-level turnover leaves gaps that must be filled, and OpenAI will need to accelerate revenue growth while trimming expenses ahead of an eventual IPO. In that environment, Brockman’s strengthened role may be timely for steering organizational changes and preparing the company for public markets.
