Brad Lightcap to move on from OpenAI after eight years
Brad Lightcap serves as Chief Operating Officer at OpenAI
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Published: Aug 12, 2026 12:41 PM | 1 min read
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- Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, is leaving the company after eight years to pursue new opportunities, as announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
- He joined OpenAI in 2018 as CFO and became COO in 2022, contributing to the development of key business and operational functions.
- Lightcap expressed pride in building foundational teams at OpenAI and noted the maturity of these teams under strong leadership.
- He will remain with OpenAI for a few weeks to assist with the transition; prior to OpenAI, he worked with CEO Sam Altman at Y Combinator.
Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at OpenAI, is leaving the company after eight years to “start something new”, he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Lightcap joined OpenAI in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer before taking on the role of COO in 2022. During his tenure, he helped build several of the company’s core business and operational functions, including finance, legal, people, corporate security, go-to-market, government affairs and partnerships.
In his message, Lightcap said, “I had the privilege of building the first versions of most of our operations and business teams – from Finance to Legal, People, CorpSec, GTM/Gov, Partnerships, and more. Among the most rewarding parts of this journey for me has been watching each of these teams mature under brilliant leaders. I am excited for the next decade in the hands of this incredibly capable team.”
Lightcap will remain at OpenAI for the next few weeks to support the transition.
i shared the message below with the openai team this morning. these decisions are never easy, but the talent and mission orientation of the openai team make me more optimistic than ever. ?
— Brad Lightcap (@bradlightcap) August 11, 2026
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Team, it is bittersweet to share that I’ll be moving on from OpenAI to start…
Before joining OpenAI, Lightcap worked with CEO Sam Altman at venture capital firm Y Combinator.
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