OpenAI enterprise AI sales lead Barret Zoph leaves
OpenAI confirmed Zoph’s departure to The Verge, five months after he returned to lead the company’s enterprise AI sales push.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Barret Zoph has left OpenAI five months after returning to the company, The Verge reported. The exit removes the executive who had been put in charge of OpenAI’s enterprise AI sales effort, an area The Verge said the company had identified as a key revenue priority.
OpenAI confirmed Zoph’s departure to The Verge. The publication reported that Zoph also posted a farewell message in OpenAI’s Slack channels, and that he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to The Verge, Zoph came back to OpenAI in mid-January after working as co-founder and chief technology officer of Thinking Machines Lab. That company was founded by Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former chief technology officer, and competes in artificial intelligence.
The Verge reported that OpenAI said soon after Zoph’s return that he would lead its enterprise push. The role carried weight because OpenAI had recently said it would focus on major revenue drivers, including enterprise products and coding, ahead of a planned initial public offering, according to The Verge.
A rapid return and exit
Zoph’s latest departure follows an earlier move out of OpenAI. The Verge reported that he first left the company in fall 2024 to join Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab.
His time at Thinking Machines Lab ended abruptly in January 2026, according to The Verge. Wired reported alleged misconduct involving an undisclosed relationship with a colleague, and The Verge said Murati posted on X in January that Thinking Machines Lab had parted ways with Zoph and would replace him as CTO.
The Verge also pointed to broader friction between OpenAI and Thinking Machines Lab. Murati briefly became CEO during Sam Altman’s November 2023 ouster from OpenAI, according to The Verge.
During a recent OpenAI trial, Murati testified that she could not trust everything Altman said, The Verge reported. The publication did not report a reason for Zoph’s latest departure from OpenAI beyond the company’s confirmation that he is leaving.
The change comes as OpenAI has been sharpening its attention on business customers, according to The Verge. With Zoph out, OpenAI has not publicly named a replacement in the details reported by The Verge.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.