ChatGPT is famous around the world, but most people cannot clearly say who is behind it. OpenAI’s team story has more twists than its products: it began as a research lab, went through the 2023 boardroom fight and two waves of personnel changes, and is now being led toward an IPO by two of its founders.
For an overview of the company first, start with What is OpenAI?.
The founders: where six key figures stand now
OpenAI began in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab. Its six most often named co-founders are Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, John Schulman, and Wojciech Zaremba. Altman is CEO, Brockman is President, and Zaremba leads the AI Resilience program at the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation. The other three have left: Musk left the board in 2018 and later founded xAI; Ilya and Schulman left in 2024.
Who is in charge now
As of October 2026, power sits with Altman and Brockman. Brockman has reportedly brought both infrastructure and product teams under his control.
| Role | Person | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | Sam Altman | Co-founder; removed in November 2023, reached a deal to return within five days |
| President | Greg Brockman | Co-founder; reportedly oversees infrastructure and product |
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | Sarah Friar | Former CEO of Nextdoor |
| Chief Scientist | Jakub Pachocki | Succeeded Ilya Sutskever in 2024 |
| Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) | Dali Rajic | Took over in August 2026, succeeding Denise Dresser |
Two waves of personnel changes
First wave (2024): Several research and safety leaders left, including co-founder and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, CTO Mira Murati, alignment team lead Jan Leike, and co-founder John Schulman.
Second wave (2026): More than ten operations and commercial executives reportedly left while the company was preparing to go public:
| Person | Former role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Lightcap | Chief Operating Officer (COO) | Left, saying he would pursue a new project |
| Fidji Simo | CEO of Applications | Stepped down for health reasons and became a part-time adviser |
| Denise Dresser | Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) | Left after 8 months in the role |
| Kate Rouch | Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) | Left |
| Chris Malone | Head of Data Centers | Left |
| Kevin Weil, Bill Peebles | Heads of scientific research and the Sora team | Left |
The board and governance
Above the executives sits a board with real power. OpenAI’s for-profit business is controlled by the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation, which has the power to appoint directors. The board chair is Bret Taylor (former co-CEO of Salesforce), and members include Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo and former US National Security Agency director Paul Nakasone. In September 2026, AI safety researcher Paul Christiano joined the Foundation’s board and its safety committee; on the for-profit company’s board, he is a non-voting observer.
In 2023, the board removed Altman outright. Read the full story in The boardroom crisis that fired and rehired Sam Altman.
Penchan’s summary
OpenAI’s team history follows a clear line: several research and safety leaders left in 2024, another group of operations and commercial executives left in 2026, and power gradually moved back to the founders.
A large executive turnover shows the organization is still being reshaped. When you read OpenAI personnel news, track where decision-making power is gathering.