The restructuring comes after a string of high-profile departures that have hollowed out OpenAI's research and safety leadership over the past 18 months.
OpenAI has quietly restructured its safety organization, placing its safety teams under the authority of the VP of Research.
CTO Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and VP of Research Barret Zoph all departed in April 2026. Before that, VP of Research Jerry Tworek left in January 2026. And Lilian Weng, who held the title of VP of Research and Safety, exited in late 2024 amid earlier organizational shifts.
The identity of the current VP of Research, the person who now oversees safety, hasn’t been publicly confirmed with clarity.
Placing safety under research isn’t inherently problematic. In theory, it could mean safety considerations are baked into the research process from the start rather than functioning as a separate checkpoint. But independent safety teams with their own reporting lines have more leverage to push back. When safety reports to the same person driving research output, the incentive structure gets muddier.
OpenAI remains a private company. Microsoft has committed billions to the partnership. The pattern of executive departures raises legitimate questions about operational stability, as the company has lost its CTO, Chief Research Officer, and multiple VPs of Research in under two years.
The lack of transparent communication around these changes is itself a risk factor. Public disclosures on the latest reporting shift remain sparse, indicating a possible internal-focused strategy as the organization navigates these changes.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our