Who is Fidji Simo? Open AI's new CEO of Applications, previously worked at Facebook, eBay

Fidji Simo has been appointed as the CEO of Applications at Sam Altman's OpenAI. In a post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed the latest development. Altman confirmed that he will remain the CEO of OpenAI, while Simo will be reporting to him.

“So excited that @fidjissimo is joining OpenAI in a new role: ceo of applications, reporting to me. I'll remain CEOof OpenAI, but in this new configuration I'll be able to increase my focus on research, compute, and safety. These are critical as we approach superintelligence," Altman wrote on X.

Who is Fidji Simo?

Fidji Simo has been the CEO of Instacart, a grocery delivery app, since 2021. She is also a Board Member at OpenAI and Shopify, according to Simo's LinkedIn profile. Additionally, Simo is the cofounder of the Metrodora Institute and President of the Metrodora Foundation. The Institute specialises in diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with neuroimmune disorders.

Previously, she has worked for Facebook (now known as Meta) for over 10 years, where she has held key roles such as Head of the Facebook App, Vice President of Video, Games, Monetisation, and Director of Product Management.

She has been a board member of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. Simo has served as the Strategy Manager for eBay.

In terms of education, Fidji Simo completed Master of Science in Management from HEC Paris. She pursued Master's degree in Business/Commerce from UCLA Anderson School of Management, her LinkedIn profile states.

Sam Altman on Fidji Simo's appointment

Reflecting further on Simo's calibre, Sam Altman wrote, “Fidji is exceptional; we have worked together on OpenAI for the past year and I have observed her deep commitment to our mission. I cannot imagine a better new team member to help us scale the next 10x (or 100x, let's see).”

Fidji Simo on leaving Instacart

Fidji, in a recent post on LinkedIn, expressed her thoughts on the new Open AI role and leaving Instacart.

Her post read,“Hi team - I want to share an important update with you that I will be leaving Instacart in the coming months to take on a new role as CEO of OpenAI Applications, leading the product, business, and other company functions."

“Let me start by saying this was an incredibly hard decision because I love this company. We are operating incredibly well as our last earnings results have shown. Our strategy is working and this team is top notch, which makes it very hard to leave,” Simo added.

She further added, “At the same time, you all know my passion for AI generally and in particular for the potential it has to cure diseases — the ability to lead such an important part of our collective future was a hard opportunity to pass up. I only feel comfortable doing this because Instacart is on an excellent track and in great hands with a stellar management team.”