SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI said Hannah Wong, its chief communications officer, will leave the company at the end of January 2026, marking a senior exit as the ChatGPT maker continues to reshape its leadership team. Vice President of Communications Lindsey Held Bolton will lead the communications team in the interim while Chief Marketing Officer Kate Rouch oversees an executive search for a permanent successor, the company said, Dec. 22, 2025.
Hannah Wong steps back after nearly five years at OpenAI
In a LinkedIn post announcing her decision, Hannah Wong said she chose to “step back and move into my next chapter” after “a lot of reflection,” and that she plans to spend time with her husband and two children before deciding what comes next.
OpenAI confirmed the planned departure in a statement shared with WIRED. Wong joined the company in 2021 and became its first chief communications officer in August 2024, as OpenAI moved from a research-focused lab to a consumer and enterprise software company with a growing public profile.
In their joint statement, CEO Sam Altman and CEO of applications Fidji Simo said Wong “played a defining role in shaping how people understand OpenAI,” crediting her for bringing “clarity to complex ideas” during a period of rapid product launches and escalating scrutiny.
When OpenAI elevated Hannah Wong to the top communications post in 2024, she was tasked with overseeing media relations, internal communications and strategic messaging, along with brand and community efforts, according to O’Dwyer’s coverage of the promotion. Before joining OpenAI, Wong worked at Apple and at the PR firm Edelman.
Since then, OpenAI’s communications group has grown from about eight people to more than 50 staff spread across the U.S., Europe and Asia, TechRadar reported, reflecting how quickly the company’s footprint—and its need for crisis and policy communications—has expanded.
How Hannah Wong navigated OpenAI’s 2023 upheaval
Wong’s tenure included the company’s internal rupture in November 2023, when OpenAI’s board briefly removed Altman before he returned to the CEO role. In a November 2023 interview with The Verge, Altman said the episode exposed governance problems that would take time to fix.
Months later, OpenAI said an outside review found that Altman’s conduct “did not mandate removal,” and the company reconstituted its board as it sought to reassure partners and regulators, The Guardian reported in March 2024. OpenAI has since referred to the 2023 crisis internally as “the blip,” WIRED reported.
Leadership transition reaches beyond communications
Hannah Wong’s announcement comes as OpenAI adds senior leaders in finance, deal-making and public-policy work. The company has hired former Google executive Albert Lee as vice president of corporate development, reporting to CFO Sarah Friar, Reuters reported.
OpenAI also tapped former British finance minister George Osborne to lead its “OpenAI for Countries” initiative tied to the company’s $500 billion Stargate data center expansion, according to Reuters, signaling a push to deepen ties with governments as AI becomes a centerpiece of national infrastructure plans.
OpenAI did not disclose a timeline for naming a new chief communications officer. Hannah Wong is expected to remain in the role through January 2026, giving the company continuity as it balances a fast product roadmap with demands for transparency from lawmakers, customers and a public increasingly shaped by the tools it builds.
