OpenAI has appointed Fidji Simo, the current CEO of Instacart and former head of the Facebook app, to lead its applications division. The announcement was made by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who stated that the creation of this new leadership role will enable him to shift focus toward research, computing infrastructure, and AI safety initiatives.
Simo, who began her career at Facebook in 2011, was promoted in 2019 to oversee the Facebook app. In that role, she led key product areas including the News Feed, Stories, and live video, and played a central role in expanding the platform’s advertising business. She joined Instacart as CEO in 2021 and steered the company through its public debut two years later.
Although she has been a member of OpenAI’s board since last year, Simo will not immediately leave her role at Instacart. In a LinkedIn post, she informed employees that she will continue as CEO for a few more months while the company searches for her successor.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for OpenAI, as its suite of applications—such as ChatGPT—continues to grow across platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. The company is also developing a new social platform reportedly inspired by X (formerly Twitter), according to recent reporting.
Simo’s hiring underscores OpenAI’s broader push into consumer-facing products and services. With her background in scaling large-scale apps and managing product ecosystems, she is expected to drive the company’s efforts to enhance user engagement and expand its footprint in the AI application space.
OpenAI’s decision to bring in a high-profile executive with deep experience in both social media and e-commerce signals its intent to evolve beyond core AI models and into full-scale software experiences. As OpenAI increases its investment in user-centric tools, Simo’s leadership is likely to play a central role in shaping how the company’s technology reaches and resonates with a global audience.
