OpenAI on the eve of Trillion IPO: Executives compete for Altman’s attention

Beijing time on August 16, according to the Financial Times, just as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is stepping up preparations for a potentially market-shaking IPO, the company is facing increasing internal turmoil and has undergone nearly six restructurings this year. OpenAI Frequent management shakeups and a series of executive departures have left some employees frustrated with the company's ongoing changes, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. OpenAI is currently one of the most valuable private companies in the world. This week, OpenAI chief revenue officer Denise Dresser announced her departure. She just took up the position in December last year and is responsible for leading OpenAI's efforts to expand enterprise customers. Prior to this, OpenAI’s former CFO and COO Brad Lightcap and head of AI ethics Chloé Bakalar had resigned. Among them, Bakara served for less than a year. OpenAI responded that the company is operating at an extraordinary pace and is not afraid to make adjustments to the organizational structure. POLITICAL GAMES Fidji Simo, who ran OpenAI's app business and was once considered the No. 2 person after Altman, resigned from his full-time role after a period of medical leave last month and transitioned into an advisory role. But two people close to OpenAI said she remained active behind the scenes and communicated with staff on an almost daily basis. “She is still controlling the situation from behind,” said a person familiar with the internal power situation. The person also described that a number of senior executives were vying for Altman's attention amid a fierce internal "political game." OpenAI said that Simo is performing his advisory duties as planned. Altman Late last month, OpenAI also disbanded its “preparedness” team, which was tasked with assessing whether its models could pose serious or catastrophic risks, multiple people familiar with the matter said.