Greg Brockman Takes Over OpenAI Product Business
OpenAI President and Co-Founder Greg Brockman will oversee the company’s ChatGPT product business following the departure of Fidji Simo that was announced Thursday (July 9), CNBC reported Friday (July 10), citing unnamed sources.
Brockman has handled product responsibilities since Simo took a medical leave in April, and he will continue to do so after Simo said Thursday that she was stepping down from her role as CEO of Applications due to a chronic medical condition, according to the report.
The CNBC report said that these responsibilities include “OpenAI’s most important and profitable projects” and that the recent changes make Brockman the “new second-in-command at OpenAI.”
It added that OpenAI doesn’t plan to hire anyone to replace Simo.
OpenAI did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that Simo’s responsibilities would be divided up between Brockman, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon. That report cited an internal memo from Simo to OpenAI staff.
When announcing Thursday that she was stepping down from her role as CEO of Applications, Simo said she would transition to being a part-time adviser due to her chronic medical condition.
Simo added that she was grateful to Brockman, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the OpenAI board for their support.
Brockman said in a reply to Simo’s post on X: “I am deeply grateful for all Fidji has done for OpenAI and to advance our mission, and for the opportunity to have worked alongside her for the past few years.”
Altman announced in May 2025 that Simo, who was CEO of Instacart at the time, would join OpenAI as CEO of Applications later that year after transitioning from her post at Instacart. Altman described Applications as “a group of existing business and operational teams responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world.”
It was reported in March that as OpenAI pushed to combine its ChatGPT app, Codex coding platform and browser into a desktop super app, replacing its earlier, more fragmented product rollout, Simo would oversee the shift, while Brockman would help manage the product overhaul and related organizational changes.
