OpenAI executive Fidji Simo announced that she is leaving her role as the company’s chief product and business officer to focus on recovering from a chronic medical condition. She will still support OpenAI as a part-time advisor.
In a statement on social media, Simo said her decision came after a severe flare-up of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a chronic condition she was diagnosed with in 2019. She talked about the physical and emotional challenges of living with the illness, such as frequent medical appointments, ongoing treatments, insurance issues, and the hidden responsibilities of managing a long-term health condition.
Simo had already taken medical leave from OpenAI in April, when President Greg Brockman took over the company’s product organization. Looking back, she said it was hard to put her health first and wished she had done it sooner.
“I only made this decision after postponing it many times,” Simo said. She encouraged others in similar situations to remember how important long-term well-being is.
Simo joined OpenAI in 2025 after working as CEO of Instacart, where she led the company through its public listing. Before that, she spent over ten years at Meta in senior leadership roles, including leading the Facebook app.
Her background in growing consumer technology businesses made her one of OpenAI’s most high-profile executive hires. She was responsible for expanding the company’s applications business as artificial intelligence adoption grew worldwide.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thanked Simo for her work at the company and praised her leadership and friendship. He said he appreciated the impact she made during her time there.
Fidji Simo is widely respected in the technology industry for leading major businesses at Meta, Instacart, and OpenAI. By sharing her experience with POTS, she is helping raise awareness about this often misunderstood illness and showing why it is important to put health first, even in demanding leadership roles.
