OpenAI, the artificial intelligence startup behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, has made a significant addition to its team, hiring former Meta Platforms executive Irina Kofman. Kofman, who served as a senior director of product management for generative AI at Meta for five years, will be reporting directly to OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Her initial focus will be on safety and preparedness, according to a company spokesperson cited by Bloomberg.
This hiring comes amidst a period of notable departures at OpenAI. Earlier this year, the company saw the exits of key figures including co-founder John Schulman, researcher Jan Leike, and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. In August, another co-founder, Greg Brockman, announced a sabbatical. These departures have coincided with a talent war between OpenAI and other tech companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. Elon Musk, CEO of both companies, has publicly stated that OpenAI has been aggressively poaching engineers from Tesla.
OpenAI’s efforts to strengthen its team extend beyond the hiring of Kofman. The company recently brought on board former Instagram and Twitter executive Kevin Weil as chief product officer and former Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar as chief financial officer. These moves suggest OpenAI is actively seeking to bolster its leadership and expertise as it navigates the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology.
The company’s focus on safety and preparedness is particularly notable given the increasing concerns surrounding the potential risks of powerful AI systems. Kofman’s experience in generative AI, combined with her focus on safety, could be crucial in ensuring the responsible development and deployment of OpenAI’s technologies.
