OpenAI's Fidji Simo Plans to Make ChatGPT Way More Useful--and Have You Pay For It

As OpenAI expands in every direction, the new CEO of Applications is on a mission to make ChatGPT indispensable and lucrative. In case OpenAI's structure couldn't get any weirder--a nonprofit in charge of a for-profit that's become a public benefit corporation--it now has two CEOs. There's Sam Altman, chief executive of the whole company, who manages research and compute. And as of this summer, there's Fidji Simo, the former CEO of Instacart, who manages everything else. Simo hasn't been seen much at OpenAI's San Francisco office since she began as CEO of Applications in August. But her presence is felt at every level of the company--not least because she's heading up ChatGPT and basically every function that might make OpenAI money. Simo is dealing with a relapse of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) that makes her prone to fainting if she stands for long periods of time. "Being present from 8 am to midnight every day, responding within five minutes, people feel like I'm there and that they can reach me immediately, that I jump on the phone within five minutes," she tells me. Employees confirm that this is true. OpenAI's famously Slack-driven culture can be overwhelming for new hires. Employees say she is often seen popping into channels and threads, sharing thoughts and asking questions.