4 min readNew DelhiApr 19, 2026 11:14 AM IST
As OpenAI sharpens its focus on enterprise AI, three senior executives are parting ways with the ChatGPT maker.
Kevin Weil, who led OpenAI’s science research initiative, announced his resignation on Friday, April 17, alongside Bill Peebles, the researcher behind the company’s now-shuttered AI video generator Sora. Srinivas Narayanan, its chief technology officer of enterprise applications, also said he was leaving the company to reportedly spend more time with family.
These departures come just weeks after OpenAI saw yet another shakeup of its leadership, with longtime chief operating officer (COO) Brad Lightcap transitioning into a new role to oversee special projects while two other top executives – Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of AGI, and chief marketing officer (CMO) Kate Rouch – going on leave due to health reasons.
The high-level exits also follow OpenAI’s decision to end its ‘side quests’, including customer-facing efforts such as Sora and OpenAI for Science.
After 3 incredible years, I am leaving OpenAI at the end of next week.
I shared my decision with the OpenAI leadership team at the start of the month and here is a shorter version of what I shared with my team earlier this week.
===
Hi Team,
I have decided to leave OpenAI. The…
— Srinivas Narayanan (@snsf) April 17, 2026
The OpenAI for Science division is being absorbed into “other research teams,” according to Weil’s social media post. It was the company’s internal research group that developed products such as Prism, an AI-powered platform that promised to accelerate scientific discovery.
A few days ago, OpenAI unveiled an AI model called GPT-Rosalind, named after 20th-century British scientist Rosalind Franklin, designed to support research across biochemistry, drug discovery and translational medicine.
“It’s been a mind-expanding two years, from Chief Product Officer to joining the research team and starting OpenAI for Science. Accelerating science will be one of the most stunningly positive outcomes of our push to AGI,” Weil wrote.
“While the original Sora ignited a huge amount of investment in video across the industry, it took the next generation of models with Sora 2 for the broader public to understand the transformation happening. I’m proud of all the sleepless nights before and after the launch this team endured in order to deploy the technology in a responsible way and help steer societal norms,” Peebles said in a post on X.
I’ve decided to leave OpenAI. Below is the note I shared with my team.
Building Sora zero-to-one with you all has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime.
As this team knows well, one of the best parts of working on video is that you can see the scaling behavior with your… pic.twitter.com/mb4NggEAVN
— Bill Peebles (@billpeeb) April 17, 2026
“Cultivating entropy is the only way for a research lab to thrive long-term,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
Last month, OpenAI shuttered Sora and related products as part of its broader refocusing strategy. Other side projects such as an Instant Checkout feature and ‘adult mode’ in ChatGPT have also been halted indefinitely.
OpenAI is further preparing for a possible initial public offering (IPO) and just raised $122 billion in funding at an $852 billion valuation. Currently, the AI startup is reportedly working on a ‘Super App’ that would bring together its ChatGPT chatbot, Codex coding tool, and Atlas web browser.
