Instacart’s CEO tapped to run OpenAI apps as Altman shifts focus to AI safety

Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart, will join OpenAI in a new position as chief executive officer of OpenAI applications. Simo will report directly to CEO Sam Altman, who will continue to lead the Microsoft-backed creator of ChatGPT.Altman announced Simo’s hiring in a message to employees on Wednesday. OpenAI published Altman’s message as a blog post on the same day. He wrote:“Applications brings together a group of existing business and operational teams responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world, and Fidji is uniquely qualified to lead this group.”The move signals a strategic shift for the company as Altman transitions his focus toward artificial intelligence safety and research.The announcement comes just two days after OpenAI scaled back a major restructuring plan with its nonprofit parent retaining control in a move that is likely to curb Altman’s authority.According to Altman, Simo has greatly contributed to the firm since joining OpenAI’s board in March 2024. He added that Simo will start work at OpenAI later this year as she transitions from her role at Instacart over the next few months.Altman moves into a new stage of expansion, leaving Simo in charge of OpenAIThe announcement came after OpenAI last month said it yielded to pressure from former employees and civic leaders who had insisted the nonprofit would retain control of the business even as it reorganized itself as a public benefit corporation.Founded in 2015 as a research lab, OpenAI has been at odds with co-founder Elon Musk, whose xAI is an AI rival. Musk is also playing the generative AI game through his startup, xAI, and trying to stop OpenAI from going for-profit.On the OpenAI website, Altman said Fidji’s new role will focus on enabling their “traditional” business operations to grow as they enter a phase of expansion, noting that they were still OpenAI.Altman stated in a post on X that he would be able to concentrate more on research, computation, and safety in this new setup. Based on his argument, these areas are important as they got closer to superintelligence.Simo expressed in an X post that she would continue to serve as Instacart’s CEO for the upcoming months and then continue as chair of the board after that. Simo wrote that she was appreciative of her Instacart team for the incredible journey they took together and that she was excited to help the next CEO through the transition. In response, Instacart revealed that it would soon name Simo’s replacement, who will be among its “exceptionally skilled senior executives.”“Today’s announcement is not a reflection of any changes in our business or operations,” Instacart, which forecast second-quarter core profit above Wall Street estimates this month, said in a statement on Thursday.After Simo’s appointment, one source, who spoke anonymously, said that she would supervise several other executives who used to report directly to Altman. The source said she would confidently debate management issues with COO Brad Lightcap, CFO Sarah Friar, and CPO Kevin Weil. The individual added that Altman will still lead the safety, growth, and research efforts.Simo led Instacart through a successful IPO and proved longevity beyond the pandemicA year earlier, Simo went public with Instacart, helping to end the longest tech IPO drought in thirty years. Concerning this, the company, which employs many contractors to deliver groceries to customers, experienced a boom when Americans were sheltered indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.Simo stated that several wondered if Instacart would be just another pandemic fad. However, they proved doubters wrong by maintaining the COVID gains and expanding to be profitable and sustainable.Before joining Instacart, Simo became famous as the lead executive in charge of the Facebook app at Meta, where she worked from 2019 to 2021. A French native, she was also one of the highest-ranking women at the company after chief business officer Marne Levine and then-chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot