OpenAI data center leader Chris Malone leaves amid executive exits

In short: OpenAI’s head of data centers, Chris Malone, has left the company as a wider wave of executive departures continues.

What's going on

Chris Malone, who led OpenAI’s data center work, left the company last week, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch. Data centers are large buildings filled with computers that run AI systems, like the “engine rooms” behind products such as ChatGPT.

Malone joined OpenAI in March 2025 after working at Google and Meta. His departure stands out because OpenAI and its partners are building more computing capacity, including through the Stargate Project, a $500 million data center initiative focused on the United States. OpenAI is listed as a key partner alongside Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Microsoft.

OpenAI told TechCrunch it recently reorganized its infrastructure group “to support the scale and pace of our work.” Before Malone left, OpenAI changed who he reported to, shifting him away from OpenAI President Greg Brockman and placing Vice President Sachin Katti in charge of the group. The Wall Street Journal also reported that several leaders are now involved in the data center strategy, including Uday Ruddarraju, Brent Mayo, and Spas Lazarov.

Malone’s exit adds to a larger pattern. Business Insider has counted 13 executive departures at OpenAI in 2026, including the recent departures of chief operating officer Brad Lightcap and chief revenue officer Denise Dresser.

What to watch

OpenAI is reportedly aiming for a public stock listing in 2027, later than earlier expectations. Investors and customers will likely watch whether OpenAI can keep stable leadership while it expands the physical infrastructure needed to run its AI systems.

Source: TechCrunch AI