In a surprising move, Fidji Simo, the CEO and Chair of Instacart, is transitioning to a new role as CEO of Applications at OpenAI. This announcement was made by OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, who emphasised Simo's unique qualifications to lead the newly formed Applications division. Simo, who has been a board member at OpenAI since March 2024, will officially join the company later this year, reporting directly to Altman.

so excited that @fidjissimo is joining openai in a new role: ceo of applications, reporting to me.

i'll remain ceo of openai, but in this new configuration i'll be able to increase my focus on research, compute, and safety.

these are critical as we approach superintelligence.

— Sam Altman (@sama) May 8, 2025

OpenAI's Strategic Shift 

The creation of the CEO of Applications role signifies OpenAI's intent to expand its consumer-facing products and services. Altman noted that Simo's leadership would allow him to concentrate more on research, computational development, and AI safety as the organisation advances towards achieving superintelligence.

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OpenAI's AI Vision

Expressing her enthusiasm for the new role, Simo stated, "Joining OpenAI at this critical moment is an incredible privilege and responsibility. This organisation has the potential of accelerating human potential at a pace never seen before, and I am deeply committed to shaping these applications toward the public good."