Fidji Simo joined Instacart in 2021 from Facebook.
Just a few days after highlighting the company’s first quarter results, Instacart is making another big move in the digital space. CEO and Chair Fidji Simo shared that she is exiting her chief executive role to take on a new position as CEO of OpenAI Applications. In a May 7 letter to employees, she explained that her departure is not immediate, and that she is working with the board of directors to ensure a smooth transition once her successor is named.
“Let me start by saying this was an incredibly hard decision because I love this company. We are operating incredibly well as our last earnings results have shown. Our strategy is working and this team is top notch, which makes it very hard to leave,” she wrote. “At the same time, you all know my passion for AI generally and in particular for the potential it has to cure diseases — the ability to lead such an important part of our collective future was a hard opportunity to pass up. I only feel comfortable doing this because Instacart is on an excellent track and in great hands with a stellar management team.”
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Simo was also candid that the company and she decided to make the announcement after learning that what had been a private plan was about to be disclosed to the public. “I also want to apologize for how unexpected this may feel. This is not how I planned for you all to hear this news, but a media leak unfortunately expedited the timeline by several weeks,” she noted.