New Delhi: Fidji Simo is joining OpenAI as the CEO of Applications, and her first message to the team has already started conversations in tech circles. Known for her leadership at Instacart and her time at Meta, Simo’s move signals a clear push by OpenAI to make its tools more consumer-facing and widely used. She officially takes over on August 18 and will report directly to Sam Altman.
In her internal memo, now echoed across her LinkedIn, Simo sets a clear tone: AI should be about empowerment, not exclusivity. “If we get this right, AI can give everyone more power than ever,” she wrote. Her message reads like both a mission statement and a warning. She recognises that while AI holds promise, the benefits could easily be hoarded by the already powerful if not distributed carefully.
I will officially start at OpenAI as CEO of Applications on August 18. I am sharing this essay on why I believe AI can be the greatest source of empowerment for all. 🧵https://t.co/pvyDQPqtCy
— Fidji Simo (@fidjissimo) July 21, 2025
Simo’s focus: knowledge, health, and economic freedom
Simo has laid out specific areas where she sees AI making the biggest difference. Knowledge tops her list. She pointed out how AI can compress hours of learning into plain-language answers. “It doesn’t just answer questions, it teaches us to ask better ones,” she said, highlighting how AI can bridge the gap for those without access to elite education.
Healthcare is also personal for her. Reflecting on her own struggle with chronic illness, she wrote about the frustration of dealing with disconnected medical advice. She believes AI can help patients decode jargon, understand lab reports, and support daily health habits. “Even with access to some of the best doctors in the world, I found myself acting as the connector,” she said.
And then there’s economic freedom. Simo spoke about her nine-year-old daughter building a party planning website using AI tools. For her, this is what AI should be doing: making it easier for people to turn ideas into action, regardless of their age or background. “A single person can now brainstorm, prototype, market, and launch a product with tools they control themselves,” she said.
A big bet on emotional support and daily coaching
One part of the memo raised eyebrows and curiosity. Simo shared her belief that AI could offer personal coaching and emotional support. She wrote, “My business coach Katia has been transformative to my career, and I’ve joked with her over the years that everyone needs a ‘Katia in their pocket.’”
This lines up with OpenAI’s larger vision, including its collaboration with Jony Ive on a wearable device that could be “fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life,” as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The idea of an AI companion that knows your patterns and helps you manage emotions might sound like sci-fi, but it seems to be exactly where OpenAI wants to go.
“AI coaches can be available throughout every day, leverage their full understanding of all aspects of your life to help support you, and bring your subconscious patterns to your consciousness,” Simo said.
Simo steps in with optimism, but real challenges await
Her tone is hopeful but not blind to the risks. In her words, “The choices we make today will shape whether the coming transformation leads to greater empowerment for all, or greater concentration of wealth and power for the few.”
OpenAI has spent years building some of the most talked-about AI models, including ChatGPT. Simo’s job now is to take those capabilities and make them useful, human, and accessible at scale. Whether it’s through better learning, clearer healthcare, creative freedom, or emotional balance, her memo makes it clear: this isn’t just about tech. It’s about trust, access, and actual use.