Sam Altman's OpenAI sees another high-profile exit

Julia Villagra , OpenAI 's chief people officer, is leaving the company, just months after being promoted to the role. According to a report, she is leaving the company to pursue her personal passion of using art, music, and storytelling to help people understand the societal shift toward artificial general intelligence ( AGI ).

News agency Reuters reported that Villagra, who joined Sam Altmen-led ChatGPT maker in February as head of human resources, was promoted to chief people officer by CEO Sam Altman in March. Her departure comes at a time of significant change and intense competition for talent within the AI industry.

OpenAI’s chief strategy officer to take over temporarily
In the interim, Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer, will take over Villagra's responsibilities while the company's CEO of applications, Fidji Simo, leads the search for a new chief people officer.

The news highlights the complex landscape OpenAI is navigating. On one hand, the company is at the center of a heated “talent war,” with competitors like Facebook-parent Meta reportedly offering signing bonuses of up to $100 million to top researchers.

This competition has underscored the need for more capital, with OpenAI recently discussing a share sale that could boost its valuation from $300 billion to $500 billion.

Not the first high-profile exit from OpenAI
Since the failed attempt to oust CEO Sam Altman in 2023, OpenAI has seen a string of high-profile departures. Its Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati announced her resignation last year, becoming one of the key leaders to leave. Others include Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph.

OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever , who was instrumental in the attempted removal of Altman, also departed in June last year. He stated his support for the company's new leadership and its renewed focus on AI safety.