OpenAI has announced the addition of two new leaders to its executive team, Sarah Friar as Chief Financial Officer and Kevin Weil as Chief Product Officer. This move is aimed at advancing OpenAI’s mission of conducting world-leading research and safely deploying AI products.
“Sarah and Kevin bring a depth of experience that will enable OpenAI to scale our operations, set a strategy for the next phase of growth, and ensure that our teams have the resources they need to continue to thrive,” said OpenAI chief Sam Altman.
Sarah Friar, who most recently served as CEO of Nextdoor and previously as CFO at Square, will lead OpenAI’s finance team. Her role involves supporting core research capabilities and scaling operations to meet the demands of OpenAI’s growing customer base and complex global environment.
Friar is also a Board Member of Walmart and Consensys, a Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and Co-Chair of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
“I’m honored to join a team that is uniquely talented and mission-focused,” said Friar. “My goal is to help OpenAI continue excelling at what it does best—producing top-tier research and collaborating to maximize the benefits of AI tools for everyone.”
Kevin Weil, previously President of Product and Business at Planet Labs, will head the product team at OpenAI. He will focus on applying OpenAI’s research to develop products and services for consumers, developers, and businesses.
Weil has held significant positions including VP of Product for Novi at Facebook, VP of Product at Instagram, and SVP of Product at Twitter. He is also involved with the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy and Black Product Managers Network.
“The product team at OpenAI has set the pace for both breakthrough innovation, and thoughtful deployment of AI products,” said Weil. “I am thrilled to be part of the next phase of growth, as we continue to safely and responsibly build towards AGI.”
I’m super excited to announce that I’m joining @OpenAI as Chief Product Officer!
— Kevin Weil 🇺🇸 (@kevinweil) June 10, 2024
My entire career has been about working on big missions: connecting people and ideas at @Instagram and @Twitter, digitizing financial services at Libra/Novi, or most recently at @Planet, using space…
“I’m super excited to announce that I’m joining OpenAI as Chief Product Officer! My entire career has been about working on big missions: connecting people and ideas at Instagram and Twitter, digitising financial services at Libra/Novi, or most recently at Planet, using space to advance global security, sustainability, and transparency,” he posted on X.
