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Longtime OpenAI executive Brad Lightcap is leaving the company to start something new, he told employees Tuesday.
Why it matters: It’s the latest executive departure from the company and another example of an early employee leaving an AI lab to start their own thing.
What they’re saying: “It is bittersweet to share that I’ll be moving on from OpenAI to start something new,” Lightcap wrote in a message to employees that he posted on X.
He will stay at OpenAI for a few weeks and said he’s “not going far” without offering much detail.
Lightcap reported directly to CEO Sam Altman, covering special projects after being moved out of the COO role — as reported by The Information in January — when Thinking Machines’ Barret Zoph returned to OpenAI.
Zoph left OpenAI five months later.
Zoom in: Lightcap is just the latest OpenAI executive to leave the firm.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s No. 2 executive, stepped down over health issues in July, though she has since joined an AI health startup.
OpenAI’s head of ethics also left the company less than a year after joining, the Financial Times reported this week.
Kevin Weil — formerly OpenAI’s chief product officer — left the company in April and has reportedly been looking to raise a $150 million round for his new startup focused on AI in science.
The company’s CMO also recently left to focus on her recovery from cancer.
Between the lines: The talent wars apply to every AI lab, sure, but a lot of people have left OpenAI lately, including a number of people who focus on AI safety.
Zoom out: Lightcap’s exit comes amid a broader trend of longtime AI executives and even founders leaving their firms.
The latest high-profile example is Jeff Dean, who left Google to start Discovery Loop.
Lilian Weng, a co-founder of Thinking Machines, left to rejoin OpenAI.
Friction point: As we’ve reported, there are many reasons driving the talent reshuffle.
Even the most technically experienced employees worry AI could replace their job. This group is eager to get into an AI lab pre-IPO to secure generational wealth.
Others hope to literally be at the frontier, and are looking to go to the AI lab best positioned for takeoff.
A third group is primed to do their own thing: After training AI, they’re ready to work on its applications by starting their own businesses.
The bottom line: The AI race’s talent reshuffle continues.
This breaking news story was updated with additional details throughout.
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