OpenAI's Head of Safety Systems Departs Amid Reorganization

OpenAI's head of safety systems, Johannes Heidecke, told staff this week that he's leaving the company, WIRED has learned. Heidecke's departure follows a reorganization that sought to integrate OpenAI's safety and research teams. A memo to staff seen by WIRED, from chief research officer Mark Chen, said OpenAI's safety teams will now report to the company's VP of research and head of alignment Mia Glaese, who will take on an expanded role as VP of research and safety.

Saachi Jain, who previously led safety teams at OpenAI, will become the company's interim head of safety systems, reporting to Glaese. "The demands on safety continue to increase—we are training models at a much faster cadence, and release cycles have come down greatly in turn," said Chen in the memo. "As a result, we have bigger coordination challenges around safety today than ever before." Heidecke joined OpenAI in 2021 as an AI safety analyst.

He took over as the company's head of safety systems in 2024, after the previous head, Lilian Weng, left to cofound Thinking Machines Lab with other OpenAI researchers. "We're grateful for Johannes' contributions to OpenAI," said Chen in a statement to WIRED. "It's important that our safety work is integrated with frontier-model development, with an earlier and more direct role in shaping key model, product, and launch decisions.

We're excited for this next chapter under Mia Glaese's leadership across research and safety." Heidecke's departure comes as OpenAI tries to launch increasingly capable AI models. Earlier this week, the company launched GPT-5.6, its most capable model to date on agentic coding tasks. However, compared to previous models, OpenAI says GPT-5.6 showed concerning forms of misaligned behavior.

Heidecke is the latest safety-focused leader to depart from OpenAI in recent days. Earlier this week, OpenAI's chief futurist, Joshua Achiam, also told colleagues he would leave the company after nine years researching safety. It's also not just OpenAI's safety teams that are changing.

Earlier this week, OpenAI's CEO of AGI deployment Fidji Simo told staff she would step down from her role after an extended medical leave. The company said that Greg Brockman would continue leading OpenAI's product teams, which he had been assigned to do in her absence, but would also take on go-to-market strategy as well. The departure of OpenAI's head of safety systems raises concerns about the company's ability to prioritize safety as it rapidly develops and releases more advanced AI models.

As the AI industry continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, the challenge of ensuring that these models are aligned with human values and do not pose significant risks becomes increasingly complex. OpenAI's reorganization of its safety teams may be a step in the right direction, but it remains to be seen whether this change will lead to more effective safety protocols. The company's ability to balance innovation with safety will be crucial in determining the future of AI development.