OpenAI’s chief futurist Joshua Achiam notified colleagues on Tuesday that he is leaving the company later this month after nearly nine years, WIRED has learned. Achiam, who previously led a team tasked with upholding the organization’s nonprofit mission, told OpenAI staff that his departure was not motivated by any specific reason, but was something he’s been thinking about for a while.

“The world is in on the secret now and it feels possible to work on the mission from outside the walls of a frontier lab,” Achiam said in a note to staff obtained by WIRED. “I believe we can get to a world of peace, unprecedented prosperity, and unimaginable possibilities, social and scientific. Whatever I do next, I will continue to work with you on making this vision real.”

OpenAI has not yet announced if anyone will fill Achiam’s role, which sat at the intersection of the company’s AI safety and policy teams, and involved studying the potential harms and benefits caused by the rise of artificial intelligence. Achiam worked with senior company leaders, including Global Affairs Chief Chris Lehane, to advocate for government regulations aligned with OpenAI’s mission: to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity.

OpenAI has reorganized its safety, product, and research teams numerous times since ChatGPT launched in 2022, after which the company grew rapidly from a small research lab into a massive tech company. In 2024, OpenAI announced the formation of a “mission alignment team” led by Achiam that was tasked with upholding the company’s mission. OpenAI disbanded the group in February and announced that Achiam would be taking on a new role as chief futurist.