OpenAI is increasingly redirecting its resources toward strengthening its ChatGPT chatbot, moving away from longer-term and experimental research. According to a report published Tuesday by the Financial Times, this strategic shift has contributed to the departure of several senior employees, as competition intensifies from rivals such as Google and Anthropic.
The San Francisco–based startup, valued at around $500 billion, has been scaling back exploratory projects to focus more heavily on enhancing the large language models that underpin ChatGPT. The report cited insights from ten current and former OpenAI employees familiar with the company’s internal changes.
As a result of the pivot, several high-profile staff members have left in recent months. Departures include vice president of research Jerry Tworek, model policy researcher Andrea Vallone, and economist Tom Cunningham, according to the report.
The shift marks a major turning point for OpenAI. When ChatGPT was released in 2022, it was presented primarily as a research preview. However, its rapid adoption helped ignite the global generative AI boom and pushed the company into the commercial spotlight.
Under the leadership of CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI is now evolving from a research-focused lab into one of Silicon Valley’s most influential technology companies. This transformation also brings growing pressure to generate sustainable revenue that can support its multibillion-dollar valuation and meet investor expectations.
