OpenAI has made significant strides in its executive lineup and strategic partnerships, as announced on Monday. The company has hired Sarah Friar, former CEO of Nextdoor and ex-CFO of Square, as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Additionally, Kevin Weil, an ex-president at Planet Labs, has been appointed as Chief Product Officer (CPO). In a landmark move, OpenAI also unveiled a collaboration with Apple to integrate ChatGPT with Siri.
Sarah Friar’s appointment as CFO brings a wealth of financial and operational expertise to OpenAI. Friar, who co-chairs the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, is set to lead a finance team dedicated to supporting OpenAI’s mission through sustained investment in core research capabilities and scaling operations to meet global demands.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Friar to our team. Her leadership will be crucial in advancing our financial strategy and ensuring we can meet the needs of our rapidly growing customer base,” OpenAI stated in a blog post.
Kevin Weil, now OpenAI’s CPO, comes with an impressive background, having held senior positions at Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. At OpenAI, Weil’s team will focus on applying research to develop products and services that benefit consumers, developers, and businesses.
“Weil’s extensive experience in product innovation and his strategic vision will help us tackle the challenges of the generative AI market,” the company noted.
In addition to these key hires, OpenAI has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Apple. This collaboration will integrate ChatGPT into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, enhancing the capabilities of Siri. Users will be able to leverage ChatGPT for text generation, image creation, and document understanding within Apple’s Writing Tools feature.
“This integration will enable Siri to utilize ChatGPT’s intelligence for enhanced responses. Users will have control over the information shared with ChatGPT, ensuring privacy and transparency,” OpenAI explained in a separate blog post.
This move comes as OpenAI continues to expand its influence in the tech sector, particularly in the burgeoning field of generative artificial intelligence. Since launching ChatGPT in late 2022, OpenAI has experienced rapid growth but also faced controversy and internal challenges, including concerns about the AI industry’s oversight.
In May, a group of current and former OpenAI employees raised alarms about the industry’s rapid advancement without sufficient regulatory oversight or whistleblower protections. They emphasized the need for robust governance structures to ensure ethical AI development.
Despite these challenges, OpenAI remains committed to pushing the boundaries of AI technology. CEO Jamie Dimon has expressed optimism about AI’s transformative potential, comparing its impact to historical innovations like the printing press and the steam engine.