Artificial intelligence company OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman announced the appointment of Fidji Simo as the CEO of Applications on Thursday. In a message shared with the company earlier, he said “To strengthen our execution, I’m excited to announce Fidji Simo is joining as our CEO of Applications, reporting directly to me. I remain the CEO of OpenAI and will continue to directly oversee success across all pillars of OpenAI – Research, Compute, and Applications – ensuring we stay aligned and integrated across all areas. I will work closely with our board on making sure our non-profit has maximum positive impact.
Fidji Simo is a French-American businesswoman who has served as Chief Executive Officer of Instacart since 2021. She is also the Co-founder of the Metrodora Institute and President of the Metrodora Foundation. In addition to her executive roles, Simo sits on the boards of Shopify and OpenAI, and has previously held senior positions at Facebook and eBay.From a purposeful shift from driving Instacart’s transformation to now shaping the future of AI at OpenAI, her leadership journey defines strategic growth and innovation. On May 8, 2025, Simo announced her decision to step down as CEO of Instacart to join OpenAI as its new Chief of Applications driven by her passion for AI and its potential to create meaningful impact in future.
Simo’s resignation from Instacart came earlier than planned due to an unexpected media leak.In a heartfelt message to her employees, she expressed her love for the company and pride in its recent successes, including a strong earnings report and a thriving strategy. Yet, her passion for artificial intelligence, especially its potential to cure diseases and accelerate human progress, drew her to OpenAI. “Joining OpenAI at this critical moment is an incredible privilege and responsibility,” she said, emphasizing her commitment to steering AI applications towards the public good.
Simo joined Instacart’s board in early 2021 and became CEO shortly thereafter, guiding the company through rapid growth and innovation. In 2023, Simo led Instacart to go public, raising $660 million through a successful Nasdaq listing. This marked the end of a two-decade gap in major tech IPOs.
Despite her upcoming transition, she plans to remain at Instacart for a few months to ensure a smooth leadership handoff and will continue as Chair of the Board to support her successor.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman announced Simo’s appointment as CEO of Applications, a newly created role that will oversee the company’s product, business, and operational teams. Altman described OpenAI’s evolution into a “global product company,” infrastructure provider, and non-profit as a massive undertaking, requiring exceptional leadership to scale effectively. Simo’s extensive experience in product development and operations, gained during her decade at Facebook and her tenure at Instacart, makes her uniquely qualified to lead this critical function.
At Facebook, Simo was instrumental in shaping the app’s core features such as News Feed, Stories, and Facebook Live, and played a key role in monetizing mobile advertising. Her leadership helped Facebook maintain its dominance in social media and advertising. This background is especially relevant as OpenAI prepares to compete with tech giants like Google and Meta in the AI-driven advertising and applications space.
Simo’s new role at OpenAI will allow Sam Altman to focus more on research, computational infrastructure, and safety as the company pushes toward superintelligence. Meanwhile, Simo will ensure that OpenAI’s research translates into products that benefit the world at scale. This strategic division of responsibilities reflects OpenAI’s ambition to accelerate human potential while managing the complex challenges of AI development responsibly.
Her appointment also highlights OpenAI’s plans to expand its commercial footprint and possibly prepare for future funding rounds or a public offering. Bringing on a leader with Simo’s blend of operational expertise and product vision signals OpenAI’s intent to become a dominant player not just in AI research but also in consumer and enterprise applications.
Fidji Simo’s move to OpenAI marks a significant milestone in the AI industry. It bridges her proven track record of scaling technology companies with OpenAI’s mission to harness artificial intelligence for the global good. As she transitions from Instacart to OpenAI, the tech world watches closely, anticipating how her leadership will shape the next wave of AI-powered innovation and applications that could redefine how we live and work.
