OpenAI has witnessed a significant departure of talent in 2025, with at least 12 executives and researchers leaving the company, predominantly for positions at Meta’s burgeoning Superintelligence Lab. Among those who departed, more than half a dozen researchers transitioned to Meta during the summer, further intensifying concerns about the company’s talent retention amidst a backdrop of restructuring.
This wave of exits follows a tumultuous 2024 for OpenAI, which saw the departure of key figures, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and Vice President of Research Barret Zoph. As it stands, CEO Sam Altman remains one of only two active members from the original founding team of eleven.
Notable Departures to Meta
The most significant loss for OpenAI includes several top researchers who have made the move to Meta to bolster its AI initiatives. In July, Jason Wei, a research scientist involved in developing OpenAI’s advanced models, joined Meta’s Superintelligence Lab. Alongside him, Zhiqing Sun and Hyung Won Chung also transitioned to Meta, with Chung expressing enthusiasm about working with a talented team.
Additionally, Shengjia Zhao, who played a pivotal role in the creation of ChatGPT and GPT-4, accepted the position of Chief Scientist at Meta’s lab, where he collaborates directly with the company’s leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang. Jiahui Yu, known for leading OpenAI’s Perception team, also made the shift to Meta, enhancing its capabilities in processing various types of data.
Other researchers who moved to Meta include Hongyu Ren, a contributor to the GPT-4o model, and Shuchao Bi, who specialized in multimodal and reinforcement learning. Both are expected to significantly impact Meta’s AI development efforts.
Executive Departures and Changes
The talent drain is not limited to researchers. Notably, Larry Summers, a former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president, resigned from OpenAI’s board in November 2025. His resignation followed the release of controversial emails linked to his communications with Jeffrey Epstein.
In the realm of executive leadership, Julia Villagra resigned as Chief People Officer in August, merely months after her promotion. Liam Fedus, who served as Vice President of Research and Post-Training, left OpenAI in March to co-found an AI startup called Periodic Labs, focused on developing an AI scientist.
The year also saw Tom Cunningham, an economic researcher and data scientist at OpenAI, leave for a position with Model Evaluation and Threat Research, a non-profit organization dedicated to assessing AI models.
As 2025 draws to a close, Hannah Wong, OpenAI’s Chief Communications Officer, announced her departure for “the next chapter” of her career. Wong’s exit leaves OpenAI in search of new leadership for its communications team, with Lindsey Held Bolton stepping in as interim leader during this transition.
OpenAI’s current trajectory raises questions about its future capabilities and the impact of these departures on its ongoing projects. The talent exodus reflects broader trends within the tech industry, where competition for top AI talent is intensifying.
