OpenAI, the original frontier lab, recently released GPT-5.

6, one of the most capable and efficient models on the market, and its desktop app for agentic coding has grown by about 15 million subscribers in two months.

Despite these successes, the company has seen more than a dozen executive departures since the start of the year, including CEO Sam Altman’s top deputy, the chief operating officer, a chief revenue officer, and the chief marketing officer.

The latest departure is Chris Malone, head of data centers, who left after joining in March 2024.

Some exits were due to health issues or reorganization as Altman cut expensive side projects to focus on revenue.

Malone’s departure stems from a reorganization of the infrastructure team, now led by VP Sachin Katti and reporting to president Greg Brockman.

Brockman, cofounder and early infrastructure builder, was relieved of most management responsibilities in 2019 when Altman became CEO, but he remained influential, seeding internal rivalries that contributed to the 2023 board ouster of Altman.

After a brief sabbatical, Brockman returned and now oversees infrastructure and product teams.

The IPO looms: OpenAI filed confidentially with the SEC in June, though an IPO isn’t expected until 2027, much later than the typical five months from filing to trading.

The pressure to show profitability is real, as OpenAI reportedly still loses money while Anthropic is profitable.

The executive churn reflects a common startup cycle: founders build the product, then bring in experienced operators to scale for public markets.

OpenAI hired veterans like Fidji Simo and Kevin Weil, who are now gone.

With high-level turnover, Brockman’s rising influence may be timely—he can help streamline operations ahead of the IPO, cutting costs and boosting revenue.

The article, by Tim Fernholz (a journalist covering tech, finance, and policy, author of Rocket Billionaires), suggests that the recent shakeup is a strategic move to prepare OpenAI for its public debut.