OpenAI’s top safety chief leaves company as AI giant prepares for blockbuster IPO

OpenAI has lost its top safety systems executive as the company heads toward a possible blockbuster IPO. Johannes Heidecke, who led that work, told employees this week that he is leaving. His exit follows an internal overhaul that brings safety staff closer to the researchers building the company’s newest models.

The departure comes during a busy period for OpenAI. The company has released GPT-5.6, changed senior roles, and entered a legal fight with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). It is also pushing into consumer hardware.

OpenAI entrusts Mia Glaese with overseeing research and safety

According to WIRED, Chief Research Officer Mark Chen told staff that Mia Glaese will now lead research and safety. She had served as vice president of research and head of alignment. Her new title is vice president of research and safety, and all safety teams will answer to her.

Saachi Jain will serve as interim head of safety systems. Saachi previously ran safety groups inside OpenAI and will report to Mia. WIRED reviewed the staff memo announcing the new setup.

Mark said the company trains models more often and now releases them on shorter schedules. “The demands on safety continue to increase,” he wrote, adding that faster development has created “bigger coordination challenges around safety today than ever before.”

Johannes was appointed at OpenAI as an AI safety analyst in 2021. In 2024, Johannes was appointed head of safety systems after Lilian Weng stepped down. Later on, Lilian formed Thinking Machines Lab with other OpenAI ex-researchers.

Mark believes that the safety team should get involved much earlier when employees decide on models and product releases. “We’re grateful for Johannes’ contributions to OpenAI,” he said. He added that frontier model development and safety work must stay closely linked under Mia.

GPT-5.6 was launched by OpenAI earlier this week, calling it their most powerful model yet for agentic programming but also confessing that the system showed troubling misaligned behavior compared to previous versions.

Greg Brockman keeps product duties while Apple takes OpenAI to federal court

Greg Brockman will keep overseeing products and major business projects after Fidji Simo stepped back because of chronic illness. Fidji led product and business for about one year. She began medical leave in April and said Thursday that she would remain as a part-time adviser.

Greg handled her product duties during that leave. The OpenAI cofounder, who started the company with Sam Altman and others in 2015, will continue in that position, per claims from CNBC. “I am deeply grateful for all Fidji has done for OpenAI,” Greg wrote on X Friday.

On Friday, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) filed a federal lawsuit in Northern California. The iPhone maker accused OpenAI of taking protected company information to create consumer devices.

Apple said the alleged conduct involved technical employees, the chief hardware officer, and outside business partners. Its filing accused OpenAI of “stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information.”

The court fight puts two recent partners against each other. In 2024, they worked together to add ChatGPT to the iPhone operating system.

Sam visited Apple’s headquarters for the announcement.

Their relationship later soured after OpenAI entered hardware. Last year, it bought IO Products, the startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion.

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