Srinivas Narayanan, Chief Technology Officer for B2B applications at OpenAI, has announced he will leave the company, bringing to a close a three-year tenure during a period of rapid product expansion.
Narayanan said he will step down next week, adding that he plans to spend time in India with his ageing parents before deciding on his next move. The announcement was made through a LinkedIn post, in which he confirmed that he had informed OpenAI’s leadership earlier in the month.
He described his time at the company as an “incredible journey,” noting that the timing of recent and upcoming product releases made it a natural point to transition.
Narayanan joined OpenAI as Vice President of Engineering and led its enterprise-focused division. In that role, he oversaw teams responsible for building and scaling core products, including ChatGPT and the company’s API platform, which have become central to its commercial strategy.
Departure comes amid leadership changes
Narayanan’s exit is part of a wider set of senior departures at OpenAI, as the company continues to reorganise its structure and sharpen its focus on enterprise offerings.
Reports indicate that multiple executives have recently stepped down, including leaders tied to research and product initiatives. While Narayanan’s decision is described as personal and unrelated to the others, the timing places it within a broader phase of internal transition.
The company has been consolidating teams and reallocating resources toward core business lines, particularly enterprise and developer-focused products. This shift reflects increasing competition in the artificial intelligence sector, where firms are racing to secure market share in both consumer and business applications.
Narayanan’s departure removes a senior engineering leader at a time when enterprise adoption remains a key priority for OpenAI. His role had been central to translating research into deployable products used by businesses at scale.
For now, there is no indication of his next professional move. His immediate focus, he said, is to take time off and return to India before making any further decisions.
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