Fidji Simo Steps Down From Full-Time OpenAI Role After Serious Illness

Fidji Simo, OpenAI's second-highest-ranking executive and head of the division responsible for AGI deployment, is stepping down from her full-time role at the company. She announced the decision on July 9, 2026, citing the need to focus on treating a chronic illness she has been managing for seven years.

Three months on leave

Simo went on medical leave in April 2026 after a sudden flare-up of her POTS symptoms, a condition that causes irregular heart rhythms, dizziness, and fainting spells triggered by changes in body position. In her statement, she wrote that the road to recovery turned out to be longer and more complicated than she had expected, and that it now requires her full attention.

The executive hails from Sète, France. She joined OpenAI in her forties, after a career at Meta, where she spent years leading development of the main Facebook app, and at Instacart, where she served as CEO. In March 2024, she joined OpenAI's board as one of three new directors, later taking on the role of head of applications, a position later renamed head of AGI (artificial general intelligence) deployment.

The road to recovery has turned out to be much longer and more complicated than I expected, and I need to give it my full attention - Fidji Simo, OpenAI

Who takes over her duties

Simo will remain at OpenAI, but in a part-time capacity, as an advisor. Her operational responsibilities to date will be split among three other senior executives: president Greg Brockman, chief financial officer Sarah Friar, and chief strategy officer Jason Kwon. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed regret over her stepping down from full-time work, while praising her contributions to the company's growth.

Simo acknowledged that in the past, while still at Meta, she turned down an offer of a year of medical leave two years after being diagnosed with her condition. She said that for years she prioritized new professional challenges over the advice of doctors, friends, and colleagues to take care of her health.

A sensitive moment for OpenAI

Simo's departure from her operational role coincides with a period of intense preparation at OpenAI for a stock market listing, as well as work on the company's new super-app product. That means the shake-up at the top of the management structure is happening at a particularly demanding moment, as the company simultaneously scales deployment of its models to millions of business and consumer users.

For industry observers, it is another example of how, even at the fastest-growing tech companies, the pace of work takes a toll on the health of top executives. Simo's story, in which she postponed treatment for years in favor of her career, feeds into a broader discussion about work culture in the AI sector, where the pace of product development can be unforgiving.

For Polish companies working with OpenAI or building products on top of its models, the change is mainly organizational: contact with some of the teams responsible for deployments may shift as Simo's responsibilities are redistributed among the three executives. The pace of OpenAI's product development itself, according to available information, is expected to remain unchanged.

Simo said she will remain connected to the company as an advisor and will continue to follow the development of the technology, which, she stressed, she views as one of the tools that could help fight diseases like her own.

Sources: TheWrap (thewrap.com), CNBC (cnbc.com), Yahoo Finance UK (uk.finance.yahoo.com)