OpenAI confirmed on Friday that its Chief People Officer, Julia Villagra, will be leaving the company. Villagra, who joined the artificial intelligence maker in February 2024, is stepping down to pursue her personal passion projects in art, music, and storytelling.
Julia Villagra’s Role at OpenAI
According to her LinkedIn profile, Julia Villagra first joined OpenAI as head of human resources in February 2024. A month later, CEO Sam Altman announced her promotion to the role of Chief People Officer, making her responsible for overseeing the company’s talent management and people strategy.
During her tenure, Villagra helped shape OpenAI’s workplace culture at a time when the company was rapidly scaling operations and navigating intense global competition in the AI sector.
Interim Leadership and Successor Plans
OpenAI said that its Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, will temporarily assume Villagra’s responsibilities until a new Chief People Officer is hired. The recruitment process will be led by Fidji Simo, the company’s newly appointed CEO of Applications.
Villagra’s Next Chapter: Art, Music, and AI Storytelling
OpenAI noted that Villagra is leaving to pursue her passion for blending art, music, and storytelling as a way to help people better understand the transition to artificial general intelligence (AGI). The company defines AGI as the point when AI “outperforms humans at most economically valuable work.”
Her career shift highlights the growing intersection between creativity and AI, as more leaders explore ways to humanise the technology and its societal impact.
Public Concerns Over AI and Jobs
Villagra’s departure comes at a time of growing public concern about the impact of AI on employment. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 71% of Americans are worried AI could “put too many people out of work permanently.”
Despite these concerns, the U.S. jobless rate remained at 4.2% in July 2025, showing little evidence of mass unemployment caused by AI adoption—at least for now.
