OpenAI has faced a notable departure of talent in 2025, losing at least 11 scientists and executives, with a significant number moving to Meta’s Superintelligence Lab. The most dramatic shifts occurred during the summer, when over half a dozen researchers transitioned to Meta as the company seeks to enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities.
This wave of exits follows a turbulent year for OpenAI, which saw a substantial restructuring in 2024 that led to the resignation of several key executives, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew. As a result of these departures, Sam Altman, the CEO, remains one of just two active members from the original founding team of eleven.
Key Departures and Their New Roles
Among those who left for Meta is Jason Wei, a research scientist who contributed to OpenAI’s foundational models. He joined Meta’s Superintelligence Lab in July 2025. Similarly, Zhiqing Sun and Hyung Won Chung made the move, with Chung expressing on LinkedIn that he and his colleagues are “having so much fun building from a clean slate with a truly talent-dense team.”
Another prominent figure, Shengjia Zhao, took on the role of Chief Scientist at Meta’s Superintelligence Lab after co-creating ChatGPT and GPT-4 at OpenAI. He is now working closely with Mark Zuckerberg and Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang.
Additionally, Jiahui Yu, known for leading the Perception team at OpenAI, transitioned to Meta in late June, bringing his expertise in multimodal learning. Hongyu Ren, a core contributor to OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, and Shuchao Bi, who specialized in reinforcement learning, also joined Meta’s ranks.
Other Notable Exits from OpenAI
The talent loss at OpenAI extends beyond researchers. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers resigned from the board in November 2025, shortly after controversial email exchanges emerged. In August, Julia Villagra stepped down as Chief People Officer just five months after taking on the role.
Another significant exit was that of Liam Fedus, who left his position as Vice President of Research and Post-Training in March. He co-founded an AI startup called Periodic Labs in September, which aims to develop an AI scientist. Tom Cunningham, OpenAI’s data scientist and economic researcher, resigned in November to join a non-profit research institute focused on AI safety.
Finally, just weeks before the end of the year, Hannah Wong, the Chief Communications Officer, announced her departure for her next career chapter. She indicated that Lindsey Held Bolton would temporarily lead the communications team during the search for a new CCO.
The series of high-profile departures highlights ongoing challenges within OpenAI as it navigates internal restructuring and competition from other tech giants. As the AI landscape evolves, the impact of these changes on OpenAI’s future remains to be seen.
