OpenAI CCO Hannah Wong Departs Amid Leadership Transition
#openai #executive_transition #public_relations #ai_policy #leadership
OpenAI’s Chief Communications Officer Departs
OpenAI announced that Hannah Wong is leaving her role as chief communications officer, a move she framed as stepping into her “next chapter” after more than four formative years guiding public messaging around major product launches like ChatGPT and other milestones.
Transition and Executive Search
The company confirmed an executive search will begin to find a permanent replacement while an internal leader temporarily oversees the communications team, ensuring continuity during a high-profile transition that follows intense scrutiny and organizational change in recent years.
Implications for Public Narrative
Wong’s departure marks a shift in how OpenAI manages its external narrative; incoming leadership will face expectations to balance transparency, regulatory engagement, and product storytelling as AI policy, safety, and public trust remain central to the company’s reputation and strategic priorities.
About the People Mentioned
Hannah Wong
Hannah Wong is a communications executive best known as the former Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at OpenAI, where she shaped the company's public narrative during its rise as a global AI leader.[2][3][5] She joined OpenAI in 2021 as head of public relations, advanced to VP of communications, and was promoted to CCO in August 2024, overseeing media relations, internal communications, strategic messaging, events, brand design, social media, and partnerships while reporting to CEO Sam Altman.[2][3] Wong played a key role in communicating complex AI developments like ChatGPT to worldwide audiences, navigating controversies, crises, and growth amid intense scrutiny, earning praise from Altman and others for her accessible, human-centered approach.[3][5] Prior to OpenAI, she served as senior PR manager at Apple for Apple Pay, Apple Card, and iCloud, and spent five years at Edelman handling accounts like Xbox LIVE, Charles Schwab, and Twitter.[2] Her tenure at OpenAI ended in January 2025, after which she planned to prioritize family time while eyeing future opportunities; VP Lindsey Held assumed interim leadership, with a permanent successor search underway led by CMO Kate Rouch.[3] Distinct from others sharing her name, such as art historian Hannah W. Wong (PhD from University of Texas at Austin, founder of Vox Omnibus Consulting, with museum exhibitions and fellowships)[1] or a Harvard design student who founded design.able,[7] this Wong lacks detailed early life info in records. She is not the animator credited on films like Nimona (2023), Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024), and The Garfield Movie (2024).[4] As of late 2024, her OpenAI exit marks her recent prominence in tech communications.[3] (298 words)
About the Organizations Mentioned
OpenAI
OpenAI is a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company founded in 2015 with the mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI)—AI systems generally smarter than humans—benefits all of humanity[1][2]. Initially established as a nonprofit, OpenAI’s goal has always been to advance safe and broadly beneficial AI technologies. In 2019, OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary to scale its research and deployment efforts while keeping mission-aligned governance. As of October 2025, this structure evolved into the OpenAI Foundation (nonprofit) governing the OpenAI Group, a public benefit corporation (PBC). This unique corporate form legally binds OpenAI Group to prioritize its mission alongside commercial success, ensuring broader stakeholder interests are considered[1]. The Foundation holds equity in the Group, aligning incentives for long-term impact and growth. Microsoft owns approximately 27% of OpenAI Group, with employees and investors holding the rest[1]. OpenAI is renowned for pioneering breakthroughs in large language models and AI applications. Its products like ChatGPT revolutionized human-computer interaction by enabling natural language conversations and task automation. OpenAI continuously innovates by integrating AI into business tools—for example, its recent launch of “company knowledge” in ChatGPT Business harnesses AI to aggregate and analyze internal company data from apps like Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub, enhancing workplace productivity and decision-making[3]. Key achievements include advancing AI safety research, reducing hallucinations in language models, and expanding AI’s accessibility through products like Codex and ChatGPT Atlas (a browser with ChatGPT integration)[2]. OpenAI’s balanced governance model and cutting-edge research position it uniquely at the intersection of technology innovation and ethical AI development, making it a focal point in business and technology news globally.
