Joshua Achiam, OpenAI’s chief futurist, has informed colleagues that he will depart the company later this month, ending a nearly nine-year tenure, WIRED has learned. Achiam, who previously led a team focused on upholding OpenAI’s nonprofit mission, stated in a note to staff that his decision was not driven by any specific reason but was something he had been contemplating for some time. 'The world is in on the secret now and it feels possible to work on the mission from outside the walls of a frontier lab,' Achiam said in a note to staff obtained by WIRED. 'I believe we can get to a world of peace, unprecedented prosperity, and unimaginable possibilities, social and scientific. Whatever I do next, I will continue to work with you on making this vision real.'
OpenAI has not yet announced who will replace Achiam, whose role spanned both AI safety and policy teams. His responsibilities included studying the potential harms and benefits of artificial intelligence and collaborating with senior leaders, including global affairs chief Chris Lehane, to advocate for government regulations aligned with OpenAI’s mission. The company has reorganized its safety, product, and research teams multiple times since ChatGPT launched in 2022, evolving from a small research lab into a major tech company. In 2024, OpenAI formed a 'mission alignment team' led by Achiam, which was later disbanded, and he transitioned to his current role as chief futurist.
Achiam is the latest safety-focused leader to leave OpenAI, joining a growing list of departures as the company prepares to go public. Jan Leike, who co-led OpenAI’s Superalignment team, left for Anthropic in 2024. That same year, head of policy research Miles Brundage and Steven Adler, who led research on dangerous AI capabilities, both departed to found nonprofits advocating for strong safety standards. Andrea Vallone, who led research on ChatGPT’s responses to users experiencing mental or emotional distress, left to join Leike’s team at Anthropic at the end of 2025.
Source: wired
