OpenAI’s No. 2 Executive Fidji Simo Steps Down After Medical Leave

OpenAI’s second-ranking executive, Fidji Simo, announced on July 9 she is stepping down from her full-time role as CEO of AGI deployment to become a part-time adviser. The move follows three months of medical leave after a severe flare-up of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a chronic neuroimmune condition she has lived with for seven years. Her responsibilities will be split among OpenAI President Greg Brockman, CFO Sarah Friar, and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon.

Why Simo is stepping back now

Simo took medical leave in April after a severe exacerbation of POTS worsened. She said in an X post that three months away made clear her recovery would take far longer and be more complex than expected. The 40-year-old executive, who joined OpenAI in mid-2025 as CEO of Applications, said she needed to focus fully on recovery rather than day-to-day management. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, said he was grateful for her work and friendship.

What POTS is and why it matters

POTS is a neuroimmune condition affecting the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions like heart rate. Symptoms include chronic fatigue, heart palpitations, dizziness, sweating, nausea, fainting, and headaches, triggered when a person stands from a seated position. Simo was diagnosed in 2019 and has managed the condition for seven years while building her career at Meta and Instacart.

The leadership gap during IPO prep

Simo’s departure marks the latest executive turnover at OpenAI as the company prepares for a potential 2027 IPO. Bloomberg reported that her product and business responsibilities will be split between Brockman, Friar, and Kwon, according to an internal memo. No named successor or succession plan has been disclosed. OpenAI also unveiled a new super-app on July 9 designed to help white-collar workers access coding tools without high costs.

Simo’s path and the advice she didn’t take

Simo revealed that Mark Zuckerberg advised her to take a full year of medical leave while she was at Meta, but she declined. She wrote that her drive to seize opportunities, which took her from a small town in southern France to Silicon Valley by age 40, also made stepping back extraordinarily difficult. She now acknowledges that grit alone is not enough and that caring for health enables longer-term impact.

Final Thoughts

Simo’s transition from full-time executive to part-time adviser reflects a broader pattern of executive changes at OpenAI ahead of its IPO. Her departure leaves a leadership gap in AGI deployment and applications, with no successor named. The split of her duties among three executives signals potential restructuring as the company scales.

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