As OpenAI sharpens its focus on enterprise AI, three senior executives are parting ways with the ChatGPT maker.
Kevin Weil, who led OpenAI’s science research initiative, announced his resignation on Friday, April 17, alongside Bill Peebles, the researcher behind the company’s now-shuttered AI video generator Sora. Srinivas Narayanan, its chief technology officer of enterprise applications, also said he was leaving the company to reportedly spend more time with family.
These departures come just weeks after OpenAI saw yet another shakeup of its leadership, with longtime chief operating officer (COO) Brad Lightcap transitioning into a new role to oversee special projects while two other top executives – Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of AGI, and chief marketing officer (CMO) Kate Rouch – going on leave due to health reasons.
The high-level exits also follow OpenAI’s decision to end its ‘side quests’, including customer-facing efforts such as Sora and OpenAI for Science.
After 3 incredible years, I am leaving OpenAI at the end of next week.
I shared my decision with the OpenAI leadership team at the start of the month and here is a shorter version of what I shared with my team earlier this week.
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Hi Team,
I have decided to leave OpenAI. The…— Srinivas Narayanan (@snsf) April 17, 2026
The OpenAI for Science division is being absorbed into “other research teams,” according to Weil’s social media post. It was the company’s internal research group that developed products such as Prism, an AI-powered platform that promised to accelerate scientific discovery.
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