Some bittersweet news to share - I'm leaving OpenAI as an employee and transitioning into an advisory role. I'm proud of everything our team has accomplished in my time at OpenAI, and while my job there was one of the coolest and most interesting jobs it's possible to have today, it had also grown dramatically in its scope and scale since I first joined. As most of you know, both Charlotte Willner and I work in Trust & Safety. Transparently, the only way we make that work is by promising each other that nobody's job comes ahead of our family's needs. We work hard to strike that balance with each other, but in the months following the launch of ChatGPT, I've found it more and more difficult to keep up my end of the bargain. OpenAI is going through a high-intensity phase in its development -- and so are our kids. Anyone with young children and a super intense job can relate to that tension, I think, and these past few months have really crystallized for me that I was going to have to prioritize one or the other. Coming out of a hugely successful TrustCon last week, I confided to Charlotte that I felt so energized by helping smaller companies and early-stage professionals, and that what I really wanted at this stage in my career was to be able to do more of that while still having enough balance to be fully present for my family. Those three days reminded me that there's a world outside of the rocketship of OpenAI, and that it was something I could still choose. That moment of clarity allowed me to settle on a decision which probably feels counterintuitive to a lot of folks, but feels incredibly right for me. It ended up being a pretty easy choice to make, though not one that folks in my position often make so explicitly in public. I hope this post can serve to help normalize it. So, that's that! I've moved teaching the kids to swim and ride their bikes to the top of my OKRs this summer. I told Charlotte I'm going to print myself business cards that say "Charlotte's Official Hype Man," which she hates 😀! If you or anyone you know has any advising needs, I'm excited to say I now have time for that too. Don't hesitate to reach out.
You know you have a strategy when you're clear on what to say no to, and you know you have a successful partnership when you're implementing strategy together. Congrats and kudos on being "that guy" in the best, most meaningful way and on heading off into an awesome new adventure. Oh, and let me know if you want to talk bike training. I have Key Recommendations on that topic too. ;)
I am telling Moo.com to put you on their blocklist 😤
Be great to chat in September!
So much aloha to you Dave with this shift. Swim and bike coach sounds like a pretty sweet summer gig ;). Thanks for continuing to model seeking balance; something you taught me the importance of doing (and supported me in trying to do) so long ago ❤️
I love this post so much for so many reasons. Thanks for normalizing a measured approach to success *before* the "I was so burnt out I had to choose meeting my basic needs" part, and for taking an approach that isn't all or nothing. I have the hookup on business cards if Moo blocks you :).
Kudos to you for publicly striking that balance. Great to see you both at TrustCon, which was indeed a huge success.
I have a vague recollection of this convo at TrustCon, and to quote a famous TSPA saying "That escalated quickly!" 😂 Good for you and the family! ❤️
People in big positions can afford to take such wonderful decisions. That too in a dual earner family. What about the lower workers and financially tied ones, who are a huge majority? This post is a sample narration of how "work" is suffocating the life of many workers these days and has gone to extremes of greed from corporate leaders, dumping too much scope and scale on each one person to "somehow manage everything with less people and improve profits" so that CXOs can pay themselves millions while doing layoffs for supposedly cost cutting / "saving the company". On the other side the financial system is a mess, again from another bunch of "leaders", nourishing the rich, and punishing the common people with high inflation, taxes and hundred other things. Exploitation is rampant. Pure Evil & Greed.
Founder & CEO, Family Online Safety Institute
1yGood for you. And good for your family. I'll be in touch. Have a great summer!