OpenAI Data Centres Chief Chris Malone Exits Amid Executive Departures

Chris Malone, head of data centres at OpenAI, has left the company, adding to a series of senior-level exits ahead of its potential $852-billion initial public offering (IPO). Malone had joined OpenAI in March 2025 after previous stints at Meta and Google, and is departing after about one-and-a-half years.

An OpenAI spokesperson, as per CNBC, said, "Earlier this year, we reorganized our infrastructure organization to support the scale and pace of our work. We have a strong, deeply experienced data center team in place, with clear leadership and the technical expertise to execute our plans."

A String Of Exits

Malone's departure follows several other high-profile exits at OpenAI in recent months. Longtime executive Brad Lightcap announced earlier this month that he was leaving to pursue a new project. Revenue head Denise Dresser also announced her exit earlier this month, having spent less than a year at the company.

In July, Fidji Simo, who served as OpenAI's product and business chief, said she would step down to manage a chronic illness. Four other senior leaders had left the company in April.

While some investors have raised concerns over the pace of departures ahead of the IPO, OpenAI President Greg Brockman told CNBC that the exits were not "actually that atypical." He said, "I actually think that the difference between OpenAI and other organizations is that we are so much in the spotlight, so every departure gets scrutinized in a way that it doesn't otherwise."

Malone's exit comes as AI data centres face growing scrutiny across the United States, largely over their water usage. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said last Tuesday that data centres are becoming a "sleeper issue" ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections.

Ohio has emerged as a key state in this debate, with Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown making opposition to data centres a central part of his campaign. According to a report by Axios, an NRSC memo warned, "If voters' perceptions of data centers are not fixed quickly, the campaign against them will expand far beyond Ohio."