OpenAI Product Chief Fidji Simo Steps Down, Cites Chronic Illness

Fidji Simo, OpenAI's product and business chief, is stepping down after a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness, she announced on Thursday. Simo, who was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in 2019, said she has spent "countless hours in doctors' offices" and took a medical leave in April. OpenAI President Greg Brockman took over product responsibilities during her absence.

"When I went on leave, many people told me I was courageous for prioritizing my health," Simo wrote on X. "The truth is that I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before." She will shift into a part-time advisor role at the company.

OpenAI hired Simo in May 2025 to lead its applications business. CEO Sam Altman said in a memo at the time that she would "focus on enabling our 'traditional' company functions to scale." Last month OpenAI confidentially filed for an IPO, a week after rival Anthropic did the same. The company has not offered a timeline for a public market debut and is reportedly delaying those plans until at least next year.

Simo previously served as CEO of Instacart, where she took the company public and helped break the longest tech IPO drought in three decades. She spent more than a decade in leadership roles at Meta, acting as head of Facebook from 2019 until 2021. Shares of Meta, where Simo previously worked, traded up 4.7% on the day.

Altman said in a post on X that he is grateful for Simo's contributions "and even grateful for her friendship and who she is as a person."