OpenAI encountered a significant turnover in 2025, losing at least 11 key scientists and executives, primarily to Meta’s Superintelligence Lab. This exodus included over half a dozen researchers who transitioned to Meta during the summer, where they will contribute to the company’s ambitious AI initiatives.
In a year marked by high-profile departures, OpenAI saw notable exits among its leadership. The company’s restructuring efforts in 2024 triggered a wave of resignations, including prominent figures such as Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer, and Bob McGrew, the Chief Research Officer. Currently, Sam Altman remains one of only two founding members still active at OpenAI, which began with an original team of 11.
Departures to Meta’s Superintelligence Lab
During the summer months, OpenAI lost several researchers to Meta, which is investing heavily in expanding its AI capabilities. Among the notable transfers were:
– Jason WeiWei: A research scientist who contributed to OpenAI’s o1 and deep research models, WeiWei joined Meta in July.
– Zhiqing Sun: Another research scientist who departed for Meta’s Superintelligence Lab in July.
– Hyung Won Chung: One of three researchers who shared their excitement on LinkedIn about joining Meta, stating they were enjoying the opportunity to build with a “truly talent-dense team.”
– Shengjia Zhao: Formerly a key player in developing ChatGPT and GPT-4 at OpenAI, Zhao is now the Chief Scientist at Meta’s Superintelligence Lab, collaborating directly with Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.
– Jiahui Yu: Credited with leading the Perception team at OpenAI, Yu focused on developing the “senses” of a Large Language Model before moving to Meta in late June.
– Hongyu Ren: A core contributor to OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, Ren was recruited by Meta over the summer.
– Shuchao Bi: A researcher specializing in multimodal and reinforcement learning, Bi transitioned to Meta in June to focus on post-training and AI agents.
Additional Executive Exits
Beyond researchers, OpenAI experienced a series of significant executive departures. Larry Summers, a former Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard, resigned from the OpenAI board in November. His resignation followed the release of emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein, who faced serious criminal allegations.
In August, Julia Villagra stepped down as Chief People Officer after a brief tenure that began in March. Liam Fedus, who served as Vice President of Research and Post-Training, left the company in March and co-founded an AI startup called Periodic Labs in September, aiming to develop an AI scientist.
Further contributing to the turnover, Tom Cunningham, previously an economic researcher at OpenAI, resigned in November to pursue a role at Model Evaluation and Threat Research, a non-profit dedicated to assessing AI safety and capabilities. Just before the year’s end, Hannah Wong, the Chief Communications Officer, announced her departure, stating it was time for her “next chapter.”
As OpenAI navigates this challenging phase, the loss of so many key individuals raises questions about its future direction and capability to maintain its leadership in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
