{"slug": "openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands", "title": "OpenAI hires Patreon’s co-founder as its creator push expands", "summary": "OpenAI hired Patreon co-founder Sam Yam to lead its Creator Product division, Yam announced on his X account, bringing in former Patreon product lead Drew Rowny and former engineering lead Shannon Ma alongside him. Yam, who co-founded Patreon with musician Jack Conte in 2013, pointed to OpenAI's DevDay on Sept. 29 in San Francisco for a preview of its creator products. The hires follow OpenAI's February addition of former Instagram global partnerships executive Charles Porch, its April acquisition of tech talk show TBPN, and a summer influencer retreat in New York's Hudson Valley that drew backlash over AI's environmental and creative impact.", "body_md": "# OpenAI hires Patreon’s co-founder as its creator push expands\n\n[Olivia Tauber](https://mashable.com/author/olivia-tauber)\n\n[Read Full Bio](https://mashable.com/author/olivia-tauber)\n\n[OpenAI](https://mashable.com/category/openai) has been busy courting creators, and its latest hire suggests it wants to give them more reasons to stick around. The company behind [ChatGPT](https://mashable.com/category/chatgpt) is bringing in Patreon co-founder Sam Yam to lead its Creator Product division, recruiting someone who has spent more than a decade helping creators build businesses around their audiences.\n\nYam is joining alongside two former Patreon executives: Drew Rowny, who led product, and Shannon Ma, who led engineering, as Yam announced on his X account.\n\n        [This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.](https://twitter.com/samyamiam/status/2102503574492332141)\n    \n\nTogether, the three execs bring experience building tools for people whose livelihoods depend on making things and persuading fans to support them. Yam co-founded Patreon with musician Jack Conte in 2013, helping popularize memberships that let creators earn money directly from their communities.\n\n**You May Also Like**\n\nThat makes the move interesting beyond the usual executive shuffle. OpenAI is hiring people who understand what creators need to run a business, from developing paid offerings to maintaining relationships with fans. Their arrival raises questions about how those ideas might show up in OpenAI’s products.\n\n[Terms of Use](https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use)and\n\n[Privacy Policy](https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy).\n\n[Why is OpenAI losing so many executives?](https://mashable.com/tech/why-is-openai-losing-so-many-executives)\n\nWe may not have to wait long for a clearer picture of what's in store. Yam pointed to OpenAI’s upcoming DevDay for a preview of its creator products. The event takes place [Sept. 29 in San Francisco](https://devday.openai.com/). \n\nThe hire fits into a broader effort to get closer to creators and the audiences they influence. In February, OpenAI hired Charles Porch, Instagram’s longtime global partnerships executive, to lead global creative partnerships. In April, it acquired tech talk show [TBPN](https://www.tbpn.com/), a deal I explored in [my newsletter, Fan Mail](https://fanmailmedia.substack.com/p/openai-bought-a-talk-show), as an example of the value companies place on access to influential audiences. Then came this summer’s luxury influencer retreat in New York’s Hudson Valley. \n\nAs Mashable reported, that trip also showed how quickly creator outreach can become contentious. Attendees faced questions about AI’s environmental footprint, its effect on creative work, and why they had agreed to promote the company. Some defended the opportunity to speak with the people developing the technology; others seemed surprised by the backlash.\n\nThat’s part of the challenge awaiting Yam and his colleagues. Creators are potential customers for AI tools, but they’re also among the people asking what the technology means for the value of their work. A useful product could make a stronger case than a polished brand trip. We’ll get a better sense of what that looks like next week.\n\n*Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.*\n\nOlivia Tauber is the deputy editor of digital culture, covering creators, media, movies, beauty, and more. Based in New York, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Cut, Teen Vogue, Complex, and Interview Magazine. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from NYU and a Bachelor's from the University of Michigan. She also runs Fan Mail, a weekly pop-culture newsletter.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands", "canonical_source": "https://mashable.com/life/openai-patreon-sam-yam-creator-products", "published_at": "2026-09-23 22:05:51+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-23 22:58:40.891056+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-products", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["OpenAI", "Sam Yam", "Patreon", "Drew Rowny", "Shannon Ma", "Jack Conte", "Charles Porch", "ChatGPT"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/openai-hires-patreons-co-founder-as-its-creator-push-expands.jsonld"}}