Instacart’s CEO is about to take the reins of a big chunk of OpenAI

Fidji Simo, the current CEO of Instacart, will be joining OpenAI as the "CEO of Applications" on August 18th. In this new role, she will be responsible for scaling and growing the use cases of OpenAI's technology, while CEO Sam Altman will focus more on the research and compute side of the business. Simo's appointment is part of Altman's reorganization of OpenAI, where he aims to have a more dedicated focus on the three pillars of the company: research, compute, and applications. Simo is particularly excited about the potential of AI to drive breakthroughs in healthcare and help with various aspects of life, such as career guidance, creative expression, and personalized tutoring. Simo joined OpenAI's board in March 2024, at the same time as Altman regained his board seat after an internal investigation. The applications department she will be leading will focus on enabling OpenAI's "traditional" company functions to scale as the company enters a new phase of growth.