Fidji Simo

About Fidji Simo

Fidji Simo is the CEO of Applications at OpenAI, a role that Sam Altman created specifically for her in May 2025. She oversees how OpenAI’s research reaches the world — from ChatGPT to enterprise APIs to new product categories — managing the bridge between breakthrough AI research and the tools that hundreds of millions of people use daily. She began the role in August 2025, reporting directly to Altman.

Before OpenAI, Simo was the CEO of Instacart from 2021 to 2025, where she led the company through its IPO and integrated AI across its grocery platform. Prior to Instacart, she spent a decade at Facebook (now Meta) rising to become one of the company’s most senior executives as VP and head of the Facebook app, overseeing the core product used by billions. Her career arc — from a small town in France where she was the first in her family to graduate from high school, to leading product at two of the world’s most prominent tech companies — is one of the more remarkable trajectories in Silicon Valley.

At OpenAI, Simo has already made her mark by launching ChatGPT Health in January 2026, a service connecting users’ medical records and wellness apps to provide personalized health insights. She was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI for 2025. Her appointment signals OpenAI’s serious pivot toward productization and enterprise, with Simo bringing the operational rigor of running consumer-scale platforms to the most advanced AI lab in the world.

Career Highlights

• OpenAI (2025-present): CEO of Applications, first person in this role
• Instacart (2021-2025): CEO, led through IPO, remains board chair
• Facebook/Meta (2011-2021): VP and Head of the Facebook App
• Metrodora Institute: Founded healthcare nonprofit
• TIME 100 AI (2025): Named among most influential people in AI
• ChatGPT Health (2026): Launched personalized health AI product

Notable Positions

On Bridging Research and Product

Simo’s core mandate at OpenAI is turning research into real-world impact:

“Applications brings together a group of existing business and operational teams responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world.”

On AI Product Responsibility

Drawing from her experience at Meta, Simo has been vocal about proactively addressing risks in AI products, making mental health concerns one of her first priorities at OpenAI.

Key Quotes

• “How our research reaches and benefits the world.”
• Named to TIME 100 Most Influential People in AI, 2025.

Related Reading

• Enterprise AI - OpenAI’s growing enterprise focus under Simo
• Application Over Training - The product-first direction Simo embodies