Fidji Simo

When Sam Altman created the role of CEO of Applications at OpenAI in May 2025, he was effectively splitting the company in two: research and compute on one side, and everything that touches the rest of the world on the other. To serve as his counterpart focused on how AI will integrate into our lives—and make money—he tapped Fidji Simo. The former Instacart CEO and early Facebook exec known for turning that company into an advertising machine has moved with the velocity her new role demands since. Today, her title is CEO, AGI Deployment, reflecting the expansive nature of her role. Although she had to take medical leave in spring 2026, her impact on the tech company is still clear. She leads nearly two-thirds of OpenAI employees and has driven consequential decisions from the creation of a desktop AI “superapp” to the surprise acquisition of tech news show TBPN.