New Delhi: OpenAI has tapped Mike Liberatore, the former finance head at Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, as its new business finance officer. His move adds another layer to the fierce battle for top talent in the artificial intelligence industry, where competition between OpenAI and Musk’s company has already been heating up.
Liberatore, who also served as a senior executive at Airbnb, left xAI in July after just three months on the job. His new role at OpenAI begins today, according to CNBC, which first reported the development. The company confirmed the appointment to Reuters, noting that Liberatore will work closely with CFO Sarah Friar and with Greg Brockman’s team focused on scaling OpenAI’s compute infrastructure.
What his role will cover
OpenAI said Liberatore will serve as business finance officer with responsibility for managing and optimizing AI infrastructure costs, a crucial area for the company as it expands its model training and deployment at a rapid pace. Compute expenses remain one of the largest challenges for AI companies, and the appointment reflects OpenAI’s effort to strengthen its financial oversight.
His past experience at xAI may prove significant. During his short tenure there, Liberatore was part of a $5 billion debt raise in June, along with another $5 billion strategic equity investment. Those deals gave Musk’s company a major boost in its early expansion.
A rivalry in the background
Liberatore’s hiring is also notable because of the rivalry between his former employer and his new one. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but later broke away and has since criticized the company for drifting from its original mission. Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman last year, alleging the company was no longer focused on benefiting humanity. OpenAI countersued in April, accusing Musk of harassment.
The timing of Liberatore’s move is likely to be seen as symbolic in the ongoing tension between the two camps. At the very least, it signals OpenAI’s determination to attract senior leaders with experience in raising and managing large sums of capital for AI development.