OpenAI sees another senior exit as data-center chief departs amid exec turnover

OpenAI announced the departure of Chris Malone, its former head of data centers, who left the firm last week after a brief tenure that began in March. Malone, previously at Meta and Google, had been responsible for the company’s involvement in the $500 million Stargate Project, a data-center initiative launched under the Trump administration. In a statement, OpenAI said the infrastructure organization had been reorganized and that senior data-center leadership now reports to Vice President Sachin Katti.

Malone’s exit joins a series of more than a dozen senior exits this year, such as chief revenue officer Denise Dresser, former COO Brad Lightcap, and product chief Fidji Simo, who moved to an advisory role for health reasons. The talent exodus has raised questions as the company pushes back its IPO to 2027 and confronts doubts about its valuation and profit outlook. OpenAI’s remaining leaders, including Greg Brockman, acknowledge that heightened public scrutiny amplifies attention on each departure.