OpenAI data centre chief Chris Malone exits as executive departures mount, US backlash over AI infrastructure grows

Chris Malone, the head of OpenAI's data centres, has left his position at the company, adding to a string of departures of top executives of the artificial intelligence company ahead of its potential $852 billion initial public offering (IPO).

Malone joined the company in March 2025, and is now leaving after one-and-a-half years. His previous stints were at other tech giants like Meta and Google.

“Earlier this year, we reorganized our infrastructure organization to support the scale and pace of our work. We have a strong, deeply experienced data center team in place, with clear leadership and the technical expertise to execute our plans,” an OpenAI spokesperson said regarding his departure from the company.

Malone joins growing list of execs leaving OpenAI

The departure of Malone adds to the list of executives who have been quitting the company in recent times.

Brad Lightcap, a longtime executive of OpenAI, announced earlier this month that he was leaving his position at the company for a new project.

The company's revenue head, Denise Dresser also announced earlier this month that she would be exiting the company after spending not even a full year.

Another senior executive, Fidji Simo, who was the product and business chief of OpenAI, announced in July that she would vacate her position from the company as she had to manage a chronic illness. Four other senior leaders left OpenAI in April this year.

While some of the company's investors have expressed concerns over this string of departures ahead of its IPO, OpenAI President Greg Brockman told CNBC in an interview that the exits are not “actually that atypical.”

“I actually think that the difference between OpenAI and other organizations is that we are so much in the spotlight, so every departure gets scrutinized in a way that it doesn’t otherwise,” Brockman told the publication.

Malone's exit comes when backlash mounts against data centres

The exit of OpenAI's data centres chief comes at a time when AI infrastructure is facing scrutiny across the US. Backlash is growing against data centres in a growing number of states in the US, with the main issue being their significant usage of water.

The NRSC (National Republican Senatorial Committee) warned last Tuesday that data centers are becoming a 'sleeper issue' in the upcoming midterm elections in the US.

The main state in focus in Ohio, where Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown has made his objection to data centres the centre of his campaign.

The NSCR's memo on data centres warned, “If voters’ perceptions of data centers are not fixed quickly, the campaign against them will expand far beyond Ohio,” as per a report by Axios.