Kevin Weil, Bill Peebles Leave OpenAI Amid Side Cuts
OpenAI faces the loss of two key figures behind its bold projects. Kevin Weil oversaw the science research effort. Bill Peebles developed the AI video system Sora. Both shared news of their exits on Friday. These changes happen while OpenAI focuses more on enterprise AI and plans for a superapp.
Pullback from Ambitious Side Efforts
The company has trimmed what it calls side quests. These include projects aimed at customers, such as Sora and OpenAI for Science. Sora stopped operations last month. It faced compute expenses of about $1 million each day. OpenAI for Science handled internal work on Prism. That tool uses AI to speed up scientific breakthroughs. Now it moves to other research groups, as Weil noted in his social media update.
OpenAI started as a research lab in 2015 with a mission to build safe artificial general intelligence. Over time, it launched products like ChatGPT, which brought massive attention to generative AI. The firm shifted partly to a for-profit model to fund its goals. Recent steps show a turn toward business applications and core products. Side efforts like video generation and specialized science tools take a backseat.
Challenges for OpenAI for Science
The group faced a brief and rough path. It launched formally in October 2025. Weil once posted about GPT-5 tackling 10 unsolved Erdős math problems. He removed that message quickly. A mathematician from erdosproblems.com pointed out issues with the claim. Just one day before Weil left, his team unveiled GPT-Rosalind. This model aims to boost life sciences research and drug development.
Prism represented hopes for AI in science. The platform sought to aid discoveries across fields. Weil's role evolved from chief product officer to research leadership. OpenAI for Science formed under his guidance. Now, its work integrates elsewhere in the organization.
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Insights from Leaving Researchers
Weil reflected on his time there. "It's been a mind-expanding two years, from Chief Product Officer to joining the research team and starting OpenAI for Science," he wrote. He added, "Accelerating science will be one of the most stunningly positive outcomes of our push to AGI."
Peebles highlighted Sora's effects. He said it sparked major funding for video AI industry-wide. He believes such work needs distance from main priorities. "Cultivating entropy is the only way for a research lab to thrive long-term," he stated.
Sora debuted as a text-to-video generator. It produced realistic clips from descriptions. The tool drew praise but also concerns over costs and use cases. Peebles' contributions helped push boundaries in multimodal AI.
Additional Leadership Change
OpenAI also parts with Srinivas Narayanan. He served as chief technology officer for enterprise applications. Wired reports he shared his plans inside the company. Narayanan aims to spend more time with family.
These exits point to a refocus. OpenAI builds on successes in language models and chat interfaces. Enterprise tools gain priority. The superapp hints at broader consumer reach ahead.