Leadership updates Leadership updates

OpenAI has grown a lot. We remain focused on the same core—pursuing frontier AI research that accelerates human progress—but we now also deliver products used by hundreds of millions of people. This real-world usage—in science, business, education and more—helps make our research better and helps begin to deliver on our mission of AGI that benefits all of humanity.

As we scale, I am proud to announce three of our leaders are taking on additional responsibilities to help us deliver on this.

Mark Chen has stepped into an expanded role as Chief Research Officer. Mark will drive scientific progress and make sure we continue to push the frontier in capability and safety. He will tightly integrate research and product development, enabling faster translation of research into products people love. Mark had been at OpenAI for a long time; I have watched him grow from an amazing researcher into an amazing leader over many years. I am not sure I’ve ever seen someone else ever develop as a leader in quite the same way.

Brad Lightcap, as Chief Operating Officer, is expanding his role to oversee OpenAI’s business and day-to-day operations. Brad will lead our global deployment, focusing on business strategy, key partnerships, infrastructure, and operational excellence to maximize the impact of our research. Brad and I have worked together for the past 9 years, first at YC and then at OpenAI. It was clear to me 9 years ago that Brad was exceptional and it’s nice to see the rest of the world realize it now; what he has done so far at OpenAI is extraordinary and I look forward to much more in this expanded role.

Julia Villagra has assumed the role of Chief People Officer. She will enable the company to continue scaling globally, and will ensure that OpenAI remains the top destination for people who want to build AGI. I haven’t known Julia as long as Mark and Brad, but in the shorter time we’ve worked together, I’ve been extremely impressed by how much she understands the challenges of a rapidly scaling company and builds a culture to support it.

Julia Villagra has assumed the role of Chief People Officer. She will enable the company to continue scaling globally, and will ensure that OpenAI remains the top destination for people who want to build AGI. I haven’t known Julia as long as Mark and Brad, but in the shorter time we’ve worked together, I’ve been extremely impressed by how much she understands the challenges of a rapidly scaling company and builds a culture to support it.

* 2025

Authors

Sam Altman

Sam Altman