OpenAI loses a top data center exec, as stream of high-profile departures continues
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OpenAI’s former head of data centers, Chris Malone, left the company last week, according to The Wall Street Journal, after joining in March of last year. His departure is notable because he oversaw the execution of OpenAI’s data center strategy amid an industry-wide infrastructure expansion and the company’s participation in the $500 million Stargate initiative. OpenAI said it had recently reorganized its infrastructure organization, with Malone’s reporting line shifting from President Greg Brockman to Vice President Sachin Katti, who now leads the group. Uday Ruddarraju, Brent Mayo, and Spas Lazarov are among the executives overseeing different parts of the data center effort. Malone’s exit adds to more than a dozen executive departures at OpenAI this year, including former chief operating officer Brad Lightcap, chief revenue officer Denise Dresser, and product and business chief Fidji Simo, who remains an adviser. The company has also experienced departures from its safety, ethics, marketing, and project leadership teams, while disbanding its preparedness team and ending some projects. The continuing turnover has increased scrutiny of OpenAI’s leadership and business prospects as its potential IPO reportedly shifts to 2027 and questions persist about its valuation and profitability.
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