OpenAI announced on Friday that three more executives are leaving the company, adding to a series of recent leadership changes at the prominent artificial intelligence startup. These departures include key figures from its product and science divisions.
Bill Peebles, who led OpenAI’s now-defunct short-form video app Sora, and Kevin Weil, the vice president of OpenAI for Science, both shared news of their exits in separate posts on X (formerly Twitter).
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed these changes, explaining that the company plans to decentralize its OpenAI for Science initiative. This move aims to bring the division’s work closer to the teams actively building the company’s leading model capabilities, products, and infrastructure.
Srinivas Narayanan, OpenAI’s CTO of B2B Applications, also announced his departure via a post on X, further signaling a period of significant internal restructuring.
These exits follow closely on the heels of other high-profile changes within OpenAI’s leadership. Just weeks prior, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s product and business chief, announced a medical leave due to a worsening neuroimmune condition. Earlier this month, Kate Rouch, the marketing chief, stepped down to focus on her cancer recovery, and Brad Lightcap, the operating chief, transitioned to a new role focused on “special projects.”
Kevin Weil joined OpenAI in 2024, initially serving as Chief Product Officer before launching OpenAI for Science the following year. This initiative aimed to build “the next great scientific instrument: an AI-powered platform that accelerates scientific discovery.” Weil brought extensive experience from previous leadership roles at Meta and Twitter. On Friday, he reflected, “It’s been a mind-expanding two years, from Chief Product Officer to joining the research team and starting OpenAI for Science.”
Bill Peebles came to OpenAI in 2023 and played a crucial role in the buzzy launch of Sora. The app quickly rose to the top of Apple’s App Store, allowing users to generate and share short videos. However, OpenAI decided to shut down Sora last month to manage costs and reallocate computing resources in anticipation of a potential IPO.
Peebles expressed pride in his team’s efforts, writing, “I’m proud of all the sleepless nights before and after the launch this team endured in order to deploy the technology in a responsible way and help steer societal norms.” He added, “Sora was a project that could not have happened anywhere but OpenAI, and I will always deeply love this place for that.”
