OpenAI is reshaping its leadership and product priorities as it pushes deeper into enterprise AI. On April 17, Kevin Weil, Bill Peebles, and Srinivas Narayanan said they were leaving the company. Their exits came after OpenAI moved to fold OpenAI for Science into other teams and after Sora was pulled back as the company narrowed its focus to core products and business tools.
Kevin Weil, who had led OpenAI for Science after serving as chief product officer, announced his departure on Friday. Bill Peebles, who worked on Sora, also said he was leaving. Srinivas Narayanan, who served as CTO of enterprise applications, separately said he was stepping away. Multiple reports said the three exits were disclosed on the same day.
Their departures follow other recent changes at the company. Fidji Simo took medical leave earlier this month, while Kate Rouch stepped back to focus on her health. Brad Lightcap also shifted into a special projects role as OpenAI adjusted responsibilities across senior leadership.
The leadership changes came as OpenAI continued to reduce work on projects outside its main commercial push. Reports said Sora, the company’s video product, was shut down as OpenAI moved away from what some reports described as ‘side quests’ and shifted resources toward coding, business, and enterprise products.
OpenAI for Science is also being reorganized. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company is decentralizing that unit so its work sits closer to teams building model capabilities, products, and infrastructure. Recent OpenAI materials also show the company still advancing scientific tools, including the April 16 release of GPT-Rosalind for life sciences research.
OpenAI’s recent public messaging points to a stronger enterprise focus. In an April 8 company note, Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser described “the next phase of enterprise AI,” while OpenAI’s current business materials continue to emphasize ChatGPT Business, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Codex-related tools.
That direction matches the product moves now taking place inside the company. Reports said Prism, the scientific workspace linked to OpenAI for Science, is being folded into Codex, while Sora’s pullback also frees resources for products tied more closely to revenue and customer demand.
In his post, Weil wrote, “It’s been a mind-expanding two years,” and said accelerating science could become one of the most positive outcomes of progress toward AGI. Peebles said, “Sora was a project that could not have happened anywhere but OpenAI,” while also calling research freedom important for a long-term lab culture.
Together, the departures and product changes show OpenAI tightening its structure around enterprise software, model development, and infrastructure. The company is still releasing new research products, but its latest decisions show a clearer push toward fewer projects and a narrower operating focus.
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