OpenAI loses a top data center exec, as stream of high-profile departures continues

OpenAI has lost yet another executive, and the timing of this one stands out in particular given this individual oversaw the execution of the company’s data center strategy.

Chris Malone, OpenAI’s former head of data centers, left the company last week, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Malone, who spent nearly five years at Meta and more than a decade at Google before that, joined OpenAI in March of last year, making his tenure relatively short.

Malone joined the company not long after the launch of the Stargate Project, a $500 million data center initiative championed by the Trump administration that has sought to develop data centers in the U.S. OpenAI, along with Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank and Microsoft, is considered a key partner in the effort.

Why is Malone leaving? It’s isn’t entirely clear. With the AI infrastructure buildout frenzy in full swing across the industry, data center strategy has become one of the most closely watched roles at any AI lab, which makes turnover in that seat especially surprising.

In a statement to TechCrunch about Malone’s departure, OpenAI said it had “recently reorganized” its “infrastructure organization to support the scale and pace of our work.” It added: “We have a strong, deeply experienced data center team in place, with clear leadership and the technical expertise to execute our plans.”