OpenAI's data center chief exits amid broader leadership shakeup
Chris Malone, who oversaw OpenAI's data center strategy, left the company last week, according to reports. His departure follows an internal reorganization that placed Vice President Sachin Katti in charge of the infrastructure group. OpenAI has experienced more than a dozen executive departures this year, including the recent replacement of its chief revenue officer.
Malone’s exit follows a March 2025 hiring, just after the Stargate Project’s launch—a $500 billion initiative involving OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Microsoft. His role shifted from reporting to President Greg Brockman to Vice President Sachin Katti during a reorganization, with three other executives now sharing data center leadership duties.
The departure adds to a year of turnover exceeding a dozen senior exits, including the chief revenue officer replaced after eight months, a longtime COO leaving for an undisclosed venture, and a product chief stepping down for health reasons. Safety and ethics units also lost leaders, and the preparedness team was disbanded, while some project heads left after their initiatives were canceled.
This leadership churn could signal instability at a pivotal moment for OpenAI, especially as it prepares for an IPO and races to scale infrastructure. Investors and enterprise clients may weigh execution risk, while competitors could exploit the uncertainty. However, the company’s deep bench and continued technical hires may mitigate immediate disruption, though public trust in its safety commitments could erode if departures persist.