OpenAI’s data center chief is out, per a Wall Street Journal report. Chris Malone, who joined the lab in March 2025 after nearly five years at Meta and more than a decade at Google, departed last week. His seat sat at the heart of the AI infrastructure buildout.
OpenAI is restructuring its infrastructure organization. Malone now reports to vice president Sachin Katti, who took over the group, instead of president Greg Brockman. The company said the reorganization will “support the scale and pace of our work” and that its data center team has “clear leadership and the technical expertise to execute our plans.”
The exit extends a heavy year for OpenAI’s C-suite. The company has seen more than a dozen senior exits in 2026, by Business Insider’s count. Chief revenue officer Denise Dresser was replaced two weeks ago after roughly eight months; longtime COO Brad Lightcap left days earlier. Chloe Bakalar, the head of ethics, left in July. Last week brought reports that OpenAI disbanded its preparedness team, the unit tasked with weighing catastrophic-risk scenarios. Fidji Simo, the former product and business chief, stepped back about a month ago for health reasons.
The turnover lands as OpenAI’s IPO plans slip from this year to a reported 2027 target. Co-founder Greg Brockman argues the spotlight on the company makes “every departure get scrutinized in a way that it doesn’t otherwise.”
