Uber president Jill Hazelbaker departs to run corporate affairs at OpenAI

A top operator heads to AI

Jill Hazelbaker is exiting Uber to lead communications at OpenAI, according to a statement Tuesday. An OpenAI spokesperson said she is taking on the new title of chief corporate affairs officer, with responsibility for company communications, reputation, and work tied to the corporate brand, social channels, and other partnerships. The spokesperson added that the remit goes beyond a standard communications chief by including efforts to build public trust.

Track record inside Uber

Hazelbaker arrived at Uber in 2015 after time at Snapchat Inc. and at Google under Alphabet Inc. She became a key player during the company's rocky stretch under co founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick, running policy and communications. Under current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, she became a trusted adviser and climbed into the upper ranks of leadership.

Promotion, cuts, and more turnover

In May, Hazelbaker was promoted to the posts of president and chief corporate affairs officer, which also put human resources and real estate under her watch. Roughly a month later, she announced plans to eliminate 23% of jobs in Uber's HR unit to streamline the org chart, followed by broader layoffs that hit 10% of the workforce to cut bureaucracy. Her departure lands amid other senior changes as investors consider Uber's trajectory in a transportation market where autonomous vehicles are playing a larger role. Sarfraz Maredia, who serves as the global leader for autonomous mobility and delivery, is expected to depart later this month following more than 12 years, and Susan Anderson, who ran the delivery unit, left in June after nearly a decade.

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Why it matters for investors

Leadership churn, cost cuts, and the long arc toward autonomy all shape how investors handicap Uber's operating model and margins. Hazelbaker's move takes a seasoned operator out of Uber's front office while OpenAI adds a high profile hand to manage its reputation and outreach - two levers with real weight in today's AI policy and partnership landscape.

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