HomeOpenAI reshuffles leadership with COO Brad Lightcap heading new initiatives
Several OpenAI executives are moving into new positions, according to a Bloomberg report. An OpenAI spokesperson verified the staff changes to TechCrunch.
AGI development CEO Fidji Simo stated in a memo that Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's COO, is shifting to a role leading "special projects," which will include "complex deals and investments across the company." He will report directly to CEO Sam Altman.
Denise Dresser, the former Slack CEO who recently became OpenAI's Chief Revenue Officer, will temporarily assume some of Lightcap's COO responsibilities.
UPDATE: OpenAI's Fidji Simo announced executive changes today: she is taking medical leave for several weeks, COO Brad Lightcap is moving to a new role, and CMO Kate Rouch is stepping down to focus on recovering from cancer.
More details here: https://t.co/EfAqZI7jN3 pic.twitter.com/KmWoXUG0Iu
— Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) April 3, 2026
Simo also shared personal news: she will be on medical leave for the coming weeks to manage a neuroimmune condition.
"I have tried everything to prevent this, but unfortunately my health is not cooperating," Simo wrote in the memo obtained by Bloomberg.
"The timing is incredibly frustrating because we have such an exciting roadmap ahead that the team is implementing, and I hate to miss any part of it," she said.
During her leave, OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman will oversee product management.
Kate Rouch, OpenAI's head of marketing, is also leaving her position to concentrate on her cancer recovery, but will return to a "different, more focused role when her health permits," according to the memo. The company intends to search for a new Chief Marketing Officer.
"We have a strong leadership team focused on our top priorities: advancing frontier research, expanding our global user base of nearly one billion users, and enabling enterprise applications," OpenAI told TechCrunch in a statement. "We are well-positioned to continue executing with consistency and momentum."
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Several OpenAI executives are moving into new positions, according to a Bloomberg report. An OpenAI spokesperson verified the staff changes to TechCrunch.
AGI development CEO Fidji Simo stated in a memo that Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's COO, is shifting to a role leading "special projects," which will include "complex deals and investments across the company." He will report directly to CEO Sam Altman.
Denise Dresser, the former Slack CEO who recently became OpenAI's Chief Revenue Officer, will temporarily assume some of Lightcap's COO responsibilities.
UPDATE: OpenAI's Fidji Simo announced executive changes today: she is taking medical leave for several weeks, COO Brad Lightcap is moving to a new role, and CMO Kate Rouch is stepping down to focus on recovering from cancer.
— Shirin Ghaffary (@shiringhaffary) April 3, 2026
More details here: https://t.co/EfAqZI7jN3 pic.twitter.com/KmWoXUG0Iu
Simo also shared personal news: she will be on medical leave for the coming weeks to manage a neuroimmune condition.
"I have tried everything to prevent this, but unfortunately my health is not cooperating," Simo wrote in the memo obtained by Bloomberg.
"The timing is incredibly frustrating because we have such an exciting roadmap ahead that the team is implementing, and I hate to miss any part of it," she said.
During her leave, OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman will oversee product management.
Kate Rouch, OpenAI's head of marketing, is also leaving her position to concentrate on her cancer recovery, but will return to a "different, more focused role when her health permits," according to the memo. The company intends to search for a new Chief Marketing Officer.
"We have a strong leadership team focused on our top priorities: advancing frontier research, expanding our global user base of nearly one billion users, and enabling enterprise applications," OpenAI told TechCrunch in a statement. "We are well-positioned to continue executing with consistency and momentum."
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