OpenAI's Head of Safety Departs Ahead of Major IPO

OpenAI's head of safety, Johannes Haidek, has left the company amid restructuring efforts to bring the safety organization closer to its research division. The move came after reports by the blockchain media Cryptopolitan on November 11 (local time). Haidek notified employees of his departure this week, as OpenAI reorganized its research and safety units under chief research officer Mia Glasce. Glasce, previously chief research officer and head of alignment, now oversees both research and safety, with Sachi Jair temporarily leading the safety team under Glasce. The restructuring follows shorter model development cycles, with OpenAI's chief research officer Mark Chen explaining that frequent model training and accelerated release schedules have intensified safety requirements. OpenAI also emphasized the need for safety teams to participate earlier in model and product launches. Meanwhile, OpenAI is involved in a legal dispute with Apple, which filed a lawsuit alleging the company misappropriated confidential information for consumer device development.