OpenAI Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam Announces Departure
智东西 · wechat · 2026-07-08
On July 8, OpenAI veteran and Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam published a farewell post on X, ending his nearly 9-year tenure, with his last working day being the 24th of this month. He joined as an intern in 2017, engaged in AI safety research for a long time, became the Head of Mission Alignment in September 2024, and transitioned to the newly established Chief Futurist role in February this year, a title he held for less than five months.
This departure occurs amidst intertwined periods of OpenAI preparing for an IPO and organizational restructuring. The company secretly filed an S-1 in June, and former White House AI advisor Dean Ball has joined to lead the Strategic Futures team. OpenAI's safety organization has undergone multiple adjustments in recent years: the Superalignment team was disbanded less than a year after its formation, and several safety executives, including Jan Leike, jumped to Anthropic. Achiam is yet another departing executive in the safety domain.
He was once called a 'dumbass' by Elon Musk in 2018 for warning him face-to-face that 'rushing AGI would sacrifice safety', and testified in court in the Musk v. Altman case this May, showcasing the golden 'Dumbass Fighting for Safety' trophy.
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