Srinivas Narayanan exits OpenAI after 3 years, plans India return; led ChatGPT, APIs, major B2B innovations. Photo: X.
Srinivas Narayanan, an Indian-origin technology leader serving as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for B2B Applications at OpenAI, has announced his decision to step down from the company next week. Based in San Francisco, Narayanan described his tenure at the AI firm as “three incredible years,” marking the end of a significant chapter in his career. He initially joined OpenAI as Vice President of Engineering in April 2023 and was later elevated to the role of CTO for B2B Applications in September 2025.
Narayanan shared the news of his departure through a post on social media on Friday (US time).
“I have decided to leave OpenAI. The last three years have been an incredible journey that felt more like ten,” he wrote.
He also revealed that he had informed the company’s leadership team about his decision at the beginning of the month. Alongside his exit, Narayanan indicated a temporary return to India, stating his intention to spend time with his ageing parents before deciding on his next professional move.
“I am looking forward to spending some much-needed time with my ageing parents in India before deciding what’s next,” he added.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Narayanan completed his Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras between 1991 and 1995. He later pursued a Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1995 to 1996.
He began his professional journey in 1997 as a software engineer at IBM’s Almaden Research Center. Over the years, he held leadership roles across multiple organisations, including serving as Director of Technology at Tavant Technologies. In 2007, he co-founded Viralizr, where he worked as CTO on consumer products focused on social collaboration.
In 2008, Narayanan joined Meta (then Facebook) as Vice President of Engineering, where he spent more than a decade leading large-scale engineering initiatives. Following this, he briefly collaborated with General Catalyst on artificial intelligence-related projects before moving to OpenAI.
During his time at OpenAI, Narayanan played a key role in leading major product and engineering efforts. His responsibilities included overseeing development of widely adopted platforms such as ChatGPT, the developer API ecosystem, and the supporting infrastructure.
He later transitioned into the role of CTO for B2B Applications, where he continued to lead enterprise-focused innovations until his departure.
In a message shared with his team, Narayanan reflected on his journey and expressed gratitude.
“After 3 incredible years, I am leaving OpenAI at the end of next week.
I shared my decision with the OpenAI leadership team at the start of the month and here is a shorter version of what I shared with my team earlier this week.”
“Hi Team,
I have decided to leave OpenAI. The last three years have been an incredible journey that felt more like ten.”
“Leading the B2B engineering team has been an enormous privilege. With the recent/upcoming product launches, this felt like the right time to step back. I will also fondly remember my prior role leading the Applied Engineering team, from when it was ~40 people on a single floor in the 575 office, when I first started.”
“We shipped some of the fastest-growing products in history, like ChatGPT and the API, with no real playbook to guide us. This was only possible because of the incredible team we built – you are the most passionate, dedicated, and hard-working colleagues I have ever worked with.”
“I am so grateful to Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and Fidji Simo and the rest of the OpenAI leadership for this opportunity of a lifetime.”
“I will cherish this time forever during this historic period for technology and society, and I wish you all the very best for the future.”
“I am looking forward to spending some much-needed time with my aging parents in India before deciding what’s next.”
“Thanks again. It has been a privilege to be on this journey with you.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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