The No. 2 exec at OpenAI also led Instacart through its IPO in 2023.
Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. 25% off tickets now
Nscale, the buzzy U.K.-based AI data center startup, has appointed former OpenAI, Meta and Instacart executive Fidji Simo to its board.
Simo joins high-profile tech executives Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker and Nick Clegg on Nscale's board ahead of the startup's anticipated IPO this fall.
Formerly CEO of AGI Deployment at OpenAI, essentially the No. 2 executive at the AI lab, Simo left the company in July citing health reasons. She still advises the company on a part-time basis. Before OpenAI, Simo was chair and CEO of Instacart, where she led the company through its 2023 IPO. She also spent more than a decade at Meta, including as head of the Facebook app. Simo also sits on Shopify's board.
Nscale's founder and CEO, Josh Payne, said Simo is one of the few leaders who understand what it means to scale products used by billions of people and the demands those products place on the underlying systems.
"That's what we're building for at Nscale," he said in a statement. "Fidji joins a board we've built deliberately, with the experience of scaling platforms to the largest in the world, and the independence, financial rigor and operating depth to which companies at this scale are held."
Nscale's valuation has skyrocketed since it was founded just two years ago on the back of booming demand for AI infrastructure. The startup, which designs, builds and operates AI data centers, is reportedly trying to raise up to $3.5 billion ahead of a planned IPO, Bloomberg reported last week, citing unnamed sources.
Don't miss out . The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era?
Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch's coverage.
TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.
Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.
Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice .
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via TechCrunch.
OpenAI has formed a new independent mathematics advisory group hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton following a surge in automated problem-solving. The move arrives amid mounting academic scrutiny regarding the rapid pace of artificial intelligence in advanced mathematical research.
As debate intensifies over the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence, OpenAI has proposed a comprehensive framework for international safety standards, focusing heavily on alignment research and recursive self-improvement. The move follows recent high-profile departures and escalating concerns from industry insiders regarding humanity's long-term control over advanced frontier models.
As Washington fiercely debates artificial intelligence oversight, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has emerged as President Donald Trump's top confidant, successfully pushing back against growing regulatory pressures. While rival tech executives advocate for government slowdowns, the head of the world's most valuable chipmaker is charting a rapid course for American tech supremacy.
