OpenAI is losing a top leader as it barrels toward a stock-market debut. Fidji Simo, the company’s No. 2 executive, is leaving her full-time role to focus on a worsening chronic illness, reports CNBC. The 40-year-old had been expected to take on an even larger role after the company’s IPO, which could happen as early as this year, notes the Wall Street Journal. Instead, she will serve only as a part-time adviser. Simo began a medical leave in April.
“When I went on leave, many people told me I was courageous for prioritizing my health,” Simo wrote. “The truth is that I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before.” Simo was diagnosed in 2019 with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, a condition that results in symptoms including a fast heart rate, dizziness, and fatigue when a person goes from lying down to standing up, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
In her post, the former CEO of Instacart recalled that she was working at Facebook two years after her diagnosis and that Mark Zuckerberg encouraged her to take a year of medical leave. “I didn’t even pause to consider it,” Simo wrote. “At the time, Zuck told me I should play the long game. I wish I had listened.”
