For nine months, OpenAI has gone without a chief communications officer. Hannah Wong stepped down in January after nearly five years at the company, and no replacement has been named.
The vacancy comes as OpenAI deals with controversy over AI safety, security and regulation. The company is also in a court fight with Elon Musk, is facing questions about its work with the Pentagon, and sees a possible IPO on the horizon.
OpenAI has been unable to fill the post quickly. Fortune said the company’s top choice, Uber’s Jill Hazelbaker, turned down the job this spring. After internal recruiters struggled to fill it, OpenAI brought in the executive search firm Daversa Partners this summer. OpenAI told Fortune it is focused on finding the right person and does not want to rush the hire.
The company is still debating how senior the role should be. One option would have the CCO report to president and cofounder Greg Brockman. Another would place the position under the chief marketing officer, a role that has also been vacant since April.
That reporting line matters because the CCO is not just a media face. The next hire could be advising leadership as the company deals with regulators, investors, employees and customers, while also trying to explain AI to a public that is increasingly wary of it. Where that executive sits in the hierarchy determines how much access and influence they have when those decisions are being made.
The public mood is a real constraint. An August Pew survey found that just 8% of Americans are more excited than concerned about AI, down from 18% in 2021. OpenAI is trying to sell a technology that much of the country now meets with caution.
Bill Margaritis, who led communications at FedEx for 15 years, told Fortune that a seasoned CCO should sit at the table with management, assess risk, and help leaders see around corners. He called the role an 'early warning system for the enterprise.'
Sam Altman has acknowledged the problem from his own side. He said the AI industry has done a 'terrible job' explaining the technology’s benefits to ordinary people. He also said that if the public misunderstands OpenAI’s approach to safety, 'that means we’ve done a bad job of communicating.'
The lesson is straightforward. Capital rewards clear rules, and power leaves a paper trail. When a company sits at the center of regulation, investor pressure and public doubt, communications is part of the management structure, not a public-relations afterthought.
OpenAI’s long search shows how expensive that mistake can become. In a market this sensitive, the company that cannot explain itself is already paying a price.
