Instacart CEO Fidji Simo to Lead Applications at OpenAI Driving AI Innovation

Fidji Simo, the current CEO of Instacart, is set to join OpenAI as the Applications CEO, marking a significant leadership change at the AI powerhouse. OpenAI announced this transition on Thursday, highlighting Simo’s new role in overseeing the teams responsible for transforming cutting-edge AI research into impactful, real-world applications.

Currently a board member at OpenAI, Simo will gradually step down from her CEO role at Instacart over the coming months and join OpenAI full-time later this year. She will report directly to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who will continue to oversee research, compute, and application verticals.

Altman emphasized that the Applications division consolidates existing business and operational teams focused on delivering OpenAI’s innovations to the world. He praised Simo’s unique qualifications to lead this group, noting her valuable contributions as a board member over the past year.

Beyond leading applications, Simo will assist OpenAI in scaling traditional company functions, although specific details on this aspect remain undisclosed. Her extensive background in product management and monetization, including over a decade at Meta and her leadership at Instacart, equips her well for this multifaceted role.

At Meta, Simo led major initiatives such as launching ads on the News Feed, managing monetization for the Facebook app, and overseeing product development for Facebook Video. She departed Meta as head of the Facebook app before joining Instacart in 2021, where she played a pivotal role in taking the company public in 2023.

Simo will remain chair of Instacart’s board after her departure and has announced that an internal executive will soon be named as her successor. She expressed a strong commitment to OpenAI’s mission, highlighting the organization’s potential to accelerate human potential and her dedication to guiding AI applications toward public good.

This leadership move underscores OpenAI’s strategic focus on scaling AI applications and operational capabilities to maximize societal impact. Simo’s blend of product innovation, monetization expertise, and executive leadership positions her to drive OpenAI’s mission forward at a critical juncture in AI development.