OpenAI’s Fidji Simo Announces Medical Leave During Executive Reorganization

OpenAI revealed a significant reorganization on Friday as Fidji Simo, CEO of AGI deployment, takes medical leave to prioritize her health. In her absence, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will oversee the product teams. Previously, Simo held the title of CEO of applications.

Brad Lightcap, the chief operating officer and a key deputy to CEO Sam Altman, is shifting to a role focused on “special projects.” Meanwhile, chief marketing officer Kate Rouch is also taking a leave to concentrate on her health, having been treated for breast cancer. Upon her return, she will step into “a different, more narrowly defined role,” according to an internal note shared by Simo, which was viewed by WIRED.

“As I mentioned upon joining, I experienced a relapse of my neuroimmune condition shortly before starting my role,” Simo noted in the message sent via OpenAI’s “core” Slack channel. “It has been quite a ride since, with the last month being particularly challenging health-wise. Throughout my time here, I’ve delayed medical evaluations and new treatments to remain entirely focused on my work without missing a day. I took time off for the first time two weeks before the break for medical tests, and it’s become evident that I’ve pushed myself too hard and need to explore new interventions to stabilize my health.”

Simo plans to be on leave for “several weeks,” as indicated in her internal message.

In his new position, Lightcap will oversee the company’s engineers embedded within enterprise organizations, assisting in the integration of OpenAI’s technology, among other responsibilities.

OpenAI is set to begin the search for a new CMO, as mentioned by Simo. The company is also looking to fill the chief communications officer role previously held by Hannah Wong, who departed in January. Chris Lehane is currently leading the communications team on an interim basis.

“We have a robust leadership team committed to our top priorities: advancing cutting-edge research, expanding our global user base of nearly 1 billion users, and enhancing enterprise use cases,” stated an OpenAI spokesperson. “We’re in a strong position to maintain continuity and momentum in our execution.”

Simo joined OpenAI in August 2025, taking charge of many of the company’s consumer products such as ChatGPT, Codex, and the social-video application Sora. She recently decided to discontinue the Sora app and informed staff that the company needs to prune side projects and refocus on its essential products.

This decision aligns with OpenAI’s ambition for an IPO potentially happening this year. The company recently secured $122 billion in a record funding round for the tech sector, valuing it at $852 billion.