OpenAI Hires Uber President Jill Hazelbaker

Jill Hazelbaker just turned down OpenAI once before finally taking their top communications job after ten months of vacancy. The former Uber executive is stepping in as chief corporate affairs officer starting in early December. She will report straight to OpenAI president Greg Brockman. Hazelbaker spent eleven years at Uber. She also held senior roles at Snap and Google. And here is the catch. She actually rejected the initial offer back in the spring. Sources pointed to her family on the East Coast and her close ties to Uber leadership. OpenAI clearly returned with a better deal. She will stay based on the East Coast while splitting time with San Francisco. Her arrival lands as the eleven-year-old company chases an initial public offering. She replaces Hannah Wong who left back in January. Chris Lehane filled the spot in the interim through a stormy stretch of public backlash.