OpenAI has lost another senior leader, with Chris Malone, the company’s former head of data centers, departing last week, according to The Wall Street Journal. Malone, who previously spent nearly five years at Meta and more than a decade at Google, had joined OpenAI in March of last year to help lead its data center strategy amid the industry-wide AI infrastructure buildout.
His exit follows a reorganization in which Malone stopped reporting to OpenAI president Greg Brockman and began reporting to vice president Sachin Katti, who now leads the infrastructure group. OpenAI said it had reorganized the division to match the scale of its work, adding that it retains an experienced data center team with clear leadership. Executives including Uday Ruddarraju, Brent Mayo, and Spas Lazarov continue to oversee various aspects of the data center program.
Malone’s departure adds to more than a dozen executive exits at OpenAI this year, including chief revenue officer Denise Dresser, former COO Brad Lightcap, and product chief Fidji Simo. The company’s safety-focused teams have also seen turnover, following the disbanding of its preparedness unit and the exit of former head of ethics Chloé Bakalar.
The continued churn comes as OpenAI prepares for a public listing now expected in 2027, fueling scrutiny over its valuation and long-term profitability.
