Ex-Instacart CEO Fidji Simo, now the unofficial number two at OpenAI, has been tapped by CEO Sam Altman to take over OpenAI’s Applications
Division.
The division’s other key players—COO, CFO, and chief product officer—will report directly to her. The move leaves Altman free to focus on research, safety sys- tems, and long-term strategy for the ChatGPT provider.
Simo, 39, is already a veteran of Silicon Valley. A graduate of the French business school HEC Paris, she began her US career as an intern at eBay. She then spent a decade at Meta before taking the helm of Instacart in 2021, where she navigated the end of the Covid disruption for the online grocery app and prepared its 2023 IPO.
She anticipated staying several more years at Instacart; but when Altman called, she says, “The ability to lead such an important part of our collective future was a hard opportunity to pass up.” Introduced to Altman by fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, she joined the board of OpenAI in March of last year and helped Altman complete a recent $40 billion fundraising led by Japan’s SoftBank.
Leaving her position at Instacart on good terms, she participated in the selection of her successor, Chris Rogers, who will officially become CEO after having served as the company’s chief business officer.
Along the way, Simo has acquired a reputation as a turn- around expert, adept at leading large teams. That skill set will not be out of place at OpenAI, which has grown exponentially—it attracts 5.1 billion monthly hits—but is bleed- ing cash. Simo must figure out how to turn the company profitable in the coming years and then help it go public.
