OpenAI has initiated a series of significant executive reorganizations and a major acquisition as part of its ongoing expansion. Fidji Simo, formerly the CEO of Instacart, assumed the role of CEO of Applications at OpenAI on August 18th. Following Simo’s appointment, OpenAI announced an executive reshuffle, the appointment of a new CTO of Applications, and the acquisition of Statsig, a product analytics firm, for $1.1 billion.
Statsig specializes in A/B testing and provides tools for companies aimed at refining their products. Vijaye Raji, the founder and CEO of Statsig, will join OpenAI as its CTO of Applications. Raji will be responsible for overseeing product engineering for both ChatGPT and Codex. According to OpenAI’s blog post, Raji’s responsibilities will encompass “core systems and product lines including infrastructure and Integrity.” He will report directly to Fidji Simo.
The acquisition of Statsig is subject to regulatory approval. Once finalized, Statsig employees will transition to OpenAI. OpenAI stated in its blog post that Statsig will “continue operating independently and serving its customer base out of its Seattle office.” The company emphasized a “measured approach to any future integration, ensuring continuity for current customers and enabling the team to stay focused on what they do best.”
In addition to the Statsig acquisition, OpenAI announced other executive role changes. Srinivas Narayanan, previously head of engineering and responsible for the development of ChatGPT and developer APIs, has been promoted to CTO of B2B Applications. In this newly created role, Narayanan will be responsible for overseeing business-side applications, spanning startups, enterprises, and government entities. He will report directly to Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO.
Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, is transitioning to the research division of the company. Weil will establish a new team as VP of AI for Science, collaborating closely with Mark Chen, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer. As part of this transition, Weil’s former product team, which includes Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, will now report directly to Fidji Simo.
