OpenAI has lost Chris Malone, its former head of data centers, who left the company last week, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Malone joined OpenAI in March 2022 after nearly five years at Meta and over a decade at Google. His departure comes shortly after the launch of the Stargate Project, a $500 million initiative aimed at developing data centers in the U.S., where OpenAI is a key partner alongside Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Microsoft.
The reasons for Malone's departure are not entirely clear. As the AI infrastructure buildout continues across the industry, the role of data center strategy has gained significant attention, making Malone's exit noteworthy. In a statement to TechCrunch, OpenAI indicated it had "recently reorganized" its infrastructure organization to better support its operations and emphasized having a strong data center team in place.
Following the reorganization, Malone began reporting to OpenAI vice president Sachin Katti instead of president Greg Brockman. Other executives overseeing OpenAI's data center strategy include Uday Ruddarraju, Brent Mayo, and Spas Lazarov.
Malone's departure adds to a series of executive exits this year, with Business Insider reporting a total of 13 departures, including high-profile roles. Recently, OpenAI replaced its chief revenue officer, Denise Dresser, after only eight months, and lost Brad Lightcap, its former chief operating officer. Additionally, Fidji Simo, the company's product and business chief, stepped down for health reasons but remains in an advisory role.
OpenAI's safety and ethics teams have also seen significant turnover, with the loss of Chloé Bakalar, the head of ethics, and the disbanding of its preparedness team. Other leaders, such as Bill Peebles and Kate Rouch, have departed due to project shutdowns and health reasons, respectively.
Despite the ongoing executive turnover, OpenAI's remaining leadership has attempted to downplay the situation. Co-founder Greg Brockman noted that the intense scrutiny on the company means that every departure is closely examined. The turnover has raised questions about the company's stability, especially as it prepares for a potential IPO, which has been pushed to 2027. Concerns have been raised regarding the company's valuation and profitability in light of the significant investments being made in the lab.