Co-founder and founding research scientist at OpenAI. He studied at New York University and specializes in machine learning, robotics and reinforcement learning. He was part of OpenAI's original research team in 2015 and contributed to its early AI research programs.

Co-founder and former researcher at OpenAI. He earned a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on reinforcement learning, including policy optimization and model alignment. At OpenAI, he contributed to reinforcement learning methods and ChatGPT development. He left the company in 2024.

Brad Lightcap oversees OpenAI's business operations, commercial strategy, partnerships and infrastructure planning. He previously worked at Y Combinator and JPMorgan Chase. At OpenAI, he has played an important role in scaling the organization, capital base and enterprise business.

Sarah Friar leads OpenAI's financial strategy, planning and operations. She previously served as CEO of Nextdoor and CFO of Square, where she helped guide its public listing. Her earlier experience includes Salesforce and Goldman Sachs. She holds degrees from Oxford University and Stanford University.

Jakub Pachocki leads OpenAI's core AI research. He joined the company in 2017 and previously served as Director of Research, contributing to GPT-4, OpenAI Five and research in large-scale reinforcement learning. He holds a PhD in theoretical computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mark Chen leads OpenAI's research organization, overseeing work on advanced model capabilities, safety and alignment. He joined OpenAI in 2018 and progressed through research leadership roles. His responsibilities include coordinating frontier model research and connecting scientific advances with product development.

Julia Villagra leads OpenAI's people organization, including talent strategy, organizational development and workforce expansion. She was appointed Chief People Officer in 2025. Her role supports recruitment, employee development and the organizational requirements of a growing AI research and technology company.