OpenAI CISO Matt Knight steps down after five years
Matt Knight revealed he is stepping down in a post on social media
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Published: Jan 27, 2026 5:15 PM | 2 min read
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Matt Knight has stepped down from his role as Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at OpenAI, bringing to a close a tenure of more than five and a half years. Knight announced his departure through a post on social media platform X, reflecting on his journey at the artificial intelligence company and the evolution of its security operations.
Knight joined OpenAI in 2020 as its first security hire, when the organisation was still operating as a small, research-focused lab preparing to launch GPT-3 and an experimental application programming interface. Since then, OpenAI has scaled into a global AI platform used by hundreds of millions of users worldwide, a growth that ran parallel to the expansion of its security infrastructure.
I shared this note with @OpenAI today. Onward! pic.twitter.com/2aOpryGHF6
— Matt Knight (@embeddedsec) January 26, 2026
During his tenure, Knight oversaw the development of a security programme designed to protect some of the most widely deployed AI systems in the world. The focus, he noted in his post, was on earning user trust while defining security practices for a rapidly emerging technology landscape.
In recent years, Knight also led security-focused product development and research work that culminated in the launch of Aardvark, an initiative aimed at strengthening software protection through artificial intelligence. Following the product’s launch, Knight indicated that the timing felt appropriate to move on, expressing confidence in the team and leadership continuing the work.
Responding publicly, OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman acknowledged Knight’s contributions, crediting him with building a world-class security organisation and playing a foundational role in the company’s development.
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