OpenAI’s leadership churn continues. Liam Fedus, the company’s vice president of research for post-training, is leaving to launch a materials science AI startup, making him the latest senior researcher to exit the firm. OpenAI has confirmed it will invest in and collaborate with his new company, which aims to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery.
Key Points:
- Fedus joined OpenAI in 2022 from Google and was promoted to VP last fall
- His physics background is driving his focus on AI for materials science, an area OpenAI considers “strategically important”
- OpenAI plans to invest in and partner with Fedus’ new venture
The revolving door at OpenAI continues to spin as Liam Fedus, the company’s vice president of research who headed post-training operations, departs to launch his own startup focused on using AI to discover new materials. A company spokesperson confirmed the exit to The Information, which first reported the news.
Fedus, who joined OpenAI in 2022 after leaving Google, had been promoted to vice president just last fall during a period of significant executive reshuffling. That promotion came amid several high-profile departures, including that of his predecessor Luke Metz, who left to join former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati at her new venture, Thinking Machines Lab.
“My undergrad was in physics and I’m keen to apply this technology there,” Fedus explained in a statement posted on X. His new company will enter an increasingly competitive field where Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and others are already making significant investments. In 2023, DeepMind unveiled GNoME, an AI system it claimed could identify new crystals for materials development, while Microsoft introduced MatterGen and MatterSim, tools designed specifically for materials discovery.
This is what I sent to my colleagues at OpenAI:
Hi all, I made the difficult decision to leave OpenAI as an employee, but I’m looking to work closely together as a partner going forward. Contributing to the mission of OpenAI and working with world-class teams to create and…
— William Fedus (@LiamFedus) March 17, 2025
Fedus’ departure might have typically raised concerns about brain drain at OpenAI, but the company appears to be maintaining strong ties with its former executive. “Because AI for science is one of the most strategically important areas to OpenAI and achieving [artificial superintelligence], OpenAI is planning to invest in and partner with my new company,” Fedus noted in his statement.
The exit comes during what sources describe as a “renewed surge of defections” from OpenAI. The talent exodus has apparently become significant enough that investor Josh Kushner reportedly held a presentation for employees last month arguing they stood to lose money by leaving—a telling sign of the competitive talent landscape in advanced AI.
As VP of post-training, Fedus oversaw the critical phase where AI models like those powering ChatGPT are refined after their initial training. This role placed him at the heart of OpenAI’s product development pipeline, making his departure particularly notable.
Fedus’ new venture will operate in a space where AI’s potential to accelerate scientific discovery has shown early promise but remains largely unrealized in commercial applications. By applying machine learning to predict material properties and potential new compounds, these AI systems aim to dramatically reduce the time and resources typically required for materials research and development.
The continued partnership between OpenAI and Fedus suggests both parties see strategic value in maintaining close ties, even as leadership continues to evolve at one of AI’s most prominent organizations.