OpenAI's Head of Data Centers Has Left the Company, Adding to a Long List of Senior Departures
Chris Malone, who oversaw OpenAI's data center strategy during a critical period of infrastructure growth, left last week. He is at least the 13th senior executive to exit the company in 2026.
Key points
- Chris Malone, OpenAI's head of data centers, left the company in the week ending July 2025 after roughly 15 months in the role.
- OpenAI cited an internal reorganisation of its infrastructure team as part of the context for the departure.
- At least 13 senior executives have left OpenAI so far in 2026, according to a tally by Business Insider.
- The exits come as OpenAI prepares for a stock market listing now reportedly pushed to 2027.
- OpenAI is a key partner in the Stargate Project, a $500 billion data centre initiative backed by the Trump administration.
Chris Malone, the executive who ran OpenAI's data centre strategy, left the company last week, first reported by TechCrunch AI. His departure removes one of the key people responsible for building and managing the physical computing infrastructure, the vast warehouses of specialised servers that run OpenAI's artificial intelligence systems.
Malone joined OpenAI in March 2024, having previously spent nearly five years at Meta and more than a decade at Google. His tenure lasted just over a year.
Why does this matter?
Data centre leadership is one of the most consequential roles at any AI company right now. Running AI systems at scale requires enormous amounts of computing power, and securing the buildings, electricity and hardware to provide it is a multi-billion-dollar undertaking that shapes what a company can actually build.
OpenAI is a central partner in the Stargate Project, a $500 billion data centre programme championed by the Trump administration. SoftBank, Oracle, Nvidia and Microsoft are also involved. Malone oversaw OpenAI's role in that effort.
OpenAI told reporters it had "recently reorganised" its infrastructure organisation. As part of that restructuring, Malone stopped reporting directly to OpenAI President Greg Brockman and began reporting to Vice President Sachin Katti. The company says three other leaders now share oversight of the data centre work: Uday Ruddarraju, who runs the data centre team; Brent Mayo, who manages construction and delivery; and Spas Lazarov, who leads engineering.
Is this part of a bigger pattern?
Yes, and a striking one. Malone is at least the 13th senior executive to leave OpenAI in 2026.
The departures span nearly every part of the business:
| Executive | Role | Departure timing |
|---|---|---|
| Brad Lightcap | Chief Operating Officer | Late June 2025 |
| Denise Dresser | Chief Revenue Officer | Late June 2025 |
| Fidji Simo | Head of Product and Business | ~1 month prior |
| Chloé Bakalar | Head of Ethics | July 2025 |
| Kate Rouch | Chief Marketing Officer | April 2025 |
| Chris Malone | Head of Data Centers | Late June/July 2025 |
Lightcap was one of OpenAI's longest-serving employees. Simo, who reported directly to CEO Sam Altman and was effectively his number two, stepped down citing a chronic illness and now serves in an advisory role. OpenAI also recently disbanded its preparedness team, a group specifically tasked with assessing whether the company's AI models posed catastrophic risks.
Co-founder Greg Brockman has pushed back on the attention, saying that the intense "spotlight" on OpenAI means "every departure gets scrutinised in a way that it doesn't otherwise." That may be true. Large companies lose senior staff regularly.
Still, the pace and seniority of the exits are drawing attention at a sensitive moment. OpenAI's planned stock market listing, which had been expected this year, is now reportedly delayed to 2027. Questions have grown about whether the company's valuation reflects its actual profitability, given the scale of investment it is absorbing.
What does this mean for ordinary people?
For most users of ChatGPT or OpenAI's other products, nothing changes immediately. The company says its data centre team remains in place with experienced leadership.
But for anyone watching OpenAI prepare to become a public company, these departures are worth noting. Investors and regulators look closely at leadership stability, and a string of exits at the top can signal internal strain, a shift in direction, or both.
Common questions
What is a data centre, and why does it matter for AI?
A data centre is a large building filled with specialised computers that store data and run software. For AI companies, these facilities are essential because training and running AI models requires far more computing power than a normal office server can provide.
What is the Stargate Project?
Stargate is a $500 billion programme, backed by the Trump administration, to build new data centre capacity across the United States. OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank and Microsoft are listed as key partners in the effort.
Will OpenAI's IPO still happen?
OpenAI's stock market listing was originally expected in 2025 but is now reportedly pushed to 2027. No official date has been announced.
