Today, I shared with the OpenAI team that I have decided to leave my full-time role at OpenAI and transition to being a part-time advisor.Three months ago, I had to go on medical leave after a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness I’ve lived with for seven years. During that…— Fidji Simo (@fidjissimo) July 9, 2026 Leadership Responsibilities Will Be RedistributedAccording to reports, OpenAI already has a transition plan in place meant to keep things running smoothly. Simo's workload is being split up among several senior executives, President Greg Brockman, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar, and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon are all expected to take on parts of it. There's also word that Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser will now report directly to Brockman once the restructuring settles in.OpenAI has framed this redistribution as a way to keep operations stable while product development and business growth keep moving forward without interruption. Simo staying on in an advisory role means the company doesn't lose her strategic input entirely, even with her day to day involvement scaled way back.Health Concerns Prompted the DecisionSimo has said this decision came down to worsening symptoms tied to a chronic neuroimmune condition, something she's actually been open about publicly before. Reports indicate she'd already taken an extended medical leave before ultimately deciding that getting better would require her full focus, not something she could juggle alongside a demanding executive role.Simo herself has spoken about the struggle of maintaining the frenetic pace of a fast-moving AI company while prioritizing her long-term health. Indeed, despite her decision to step back from her day-to-day role, she has voiced her optimism about OpenAI's future, reaffirming her intention to continue contributing to the company in an advisory capacity. News also suggests that she continues to be a real believer in the potential for AI, especially as it could be used in healthcare.Leadership Transition Comes at a Key Growth PhaseSimo's exit is happening right as OpenAI keeps pushing well beyond ChatGPT, expanding into enterprise software, coding tools and a growing list of other AI applications. The company's been investing heavily in commercial products while also continuing to push its research forward toward more capable AI systems. Per the Wall Street Journal, Simo played a genuinely central role in shaping how OpenAI approached product strategy and scaling up its business since she joined.Her leadership also gave Sam Altman more room to focus on research, infrastructure and safety work rather than getting pulled into day to day business operations. Her departure does leave a real gap at the top, but the redistribution plan already in motion is meant to help OpenAI keep its momentum going through the transition.