OpenAI's Fidji Simo takes medical leave, announces leadership changes

Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of applications, announced several leadership changes on Friday and revealed she is taking a significant medical leave because of a worsening neuroimmune condition.OpenAI hired Simo in May, and she told staffers in a memo on Friday that her condition relapsed a few weeks before she started in the role. She said the past month has been "particularly rough health-wise," and she decided she needs to take several weeks off to recover."For my entire time here, I've postponed medical tests and new therapies to stay completely focused on the job and not miss a single day of work," Simo wrote in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. "I took time off for the first time two weeks before the break for some medical tests, and it's now clear that I've pushed a little too far and I really need to try new interventions to stabilize my health."OpenAI President Greg Brockman will oversee product in Simo's absence, she said. Simo also announced that Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's chief operating officer, will transition to a new role focused on "special projects." He will report directly to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman."We have a strong leadership team focused on our biggest priorities: advancing frontier research, growing our global user base of nearly 1 billion users, and powering enterprise use cases," an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement. "We're well-positioned to keep executing with continuity and momentum."WATCH: AI and Rare Disease with OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji SimoGot a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inboxGet this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.© 2026 Versant Media, LLC.

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