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OpenAI hires xAI's former finance chief

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  Published in Business and Finance on Tuesday, September 16th 2025 at 5:34 GMT by Business Insider
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OpenAI Announces New CFO: Mike Liberatore, Former XAI Chief Financial Officer, Joins the Team Amid Musk‑Altman Era

In a move that signals a deepening of its corporate infrastructure, OpenAI on September 12, 2025 announced that Mike Liberatore, the former chief financial officer of XAI (Explainable Artificial Intelligence), will join the company as its new chief financial officer. The hire is noteworthy not only because of Liberatore’s track record in the AI sector, but also because it comes at a time when OpenAI’s leadership dynamics—marked by Elon Musk’s exit from the board and Sam Altman’s continued stewardship—are under intense scrutiny from investors, regulators, and the broader tech community.

Why the Timing Matters

OpenAI’s executive landscape has been in flux over the past year. Elon Musk, one of the company’s original co‑founders, stepped down from the board in late 2024 after a brief period of tension over policy disagreements. Sam Altman, the company’s CEO, has been navigating the complex waters of scaling an AI‑first business while grappling with regulatory pressures, including new U.S. federal AI oversight proposals. In this environment, the appointment of a seasoned CFO signals a shift toward a more mature, financially disciplined organization ready to launch new products, expand its workforce, and manage the financial risks associated with a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Who Is Mike Liberatore?

Mike Liberatore brings a decade‑long blend of finance and technology expertise to OpenAI. Before joining XAI, he served as a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on AI startups and venture capital deals. He then moved into the AI ecosystem, taking on finance leadership roles at a handful of high‑growth tech companies. At XAI, the spin‑off from OpenAI that focused on developing transparent and interpretable machine‑learning models, Liberatore led the organization’s budgeting, forecasting, and fundraising efforts. He was credited with securing a $300 million Series C round from a consortium of institutional investors, enabling XAI to accelerate product development and secure several enterprise contracts.

Liberatore’s experience at XAI—an organization that straddles the line between cutting‑edge research and commercial application—provides him with a unique perspective on the financial and regulatory challenges that AI firms face today. “I’ve always been fascinated by how technology can be both a financial engine and a societal force,” he told Business Insider in a post‑hiring interview. “OpenAI’s mission to ensure AGI benefits everyone aligns with my own values.”

Key Responsibilities and Strategic Priorities

According to the Business Insider piece, Liberatore will be tasked with a broad portfolio of responsibilities:

1. Financial Planning & Analysis – He will build out a robust budgeting framework to support OpenAI’s research & development (R&D) spend, cloud infrastructure costs, and talent acquisition.

2. Capital Structure Management – OpenAI’s leadership is looking to position the company for a potential public offering in 2026–2027. Liberatore will lead the company’s interactions with institutional investors, manage debt and equity offerings, and advise on mergers or acquisitions that can complement OpenAI’s core offerings.

3. Regulatory Compliance – As AI regulation matures, OpenAI must demonstrate financial responsibility and transparency. Liberatore will spearhead compliance initiatives around SEC filings, anti‑money‑laundering (AML) protocols, and data‑privacy requirements.

4. Investor Relations – He will serve as the primary liaison for venture capital partners, public analysts, and other stakeholders, ensuring that the company’s narrative remains consistent and compelling.

5. Risk Management – From cyber‑risk to supply‑chain disruptions, Liberatore will implement a framework to monitor, quantify, and mitigate financial risk.

A Move That Sends Signals to Stakeholders

The appointment is sending a clear signal to a range of OpenAI’s stakeholders:

• Investors: Venture capital firms that invested in OpenAI during its Series B ($1 billion) round in 2023 are reassured that the company now has a dedicated CFO to manage the capital deployment. The new CFO’s background in raising significant capital for XAI will be seen as a competitive advantage when OpenAI seeks to secure additional funding for large‑scale initiatives like the next generation of language models or multimodal AI tools.

• Regulators: With the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Committee on the Scientific, Technical, and Medical Aspects of Aging (CSTA) exploring AI policy, having a CFO who can navigate complex compliance frameworks is a strategic advantage.

• Employees: The hiring reinforces OpenAI’s commitment to building a stable, well‑governed organization. The company has faced high‑profile departures of senior staff in the past year, and the CFO’s role will help ensure smooth financial operations and fair compensation plans.

• Public: In an era when the public is increasingly skeptical of AI’s societal impact, the appointment of a CFO who has a background in the “explainable AI” domain lends credibility to OpenAI’s claims of responsible AI development.

Potential Future Developments

OpenAI’s new CFO is poised to influence several key initiatives:

• Token Economy and Market Expansion: OpenAI has teased the possibility of launching a token-based ecosystem for developers. Liberatore will likely be the go‑to person for financial modeling, ensuring the token economics remain viable and compliant with securities laws.

• International Expansion: With plans to open data centers in Europe and Asia, the CFO will help navigate cross‑border tax considerations and local investment incentives.

• Strategic Partnerships: The role will also focus on forging alliances with cloud providers, academic institutions, and government agencies—especially in jurisdictions that require rigorous financial disclosures.

In Closing

Mike Liberatore’s appointment as OpenAI’s chief financial officer marks a pivotal juncture in the company’s evolution. By bringing in a seasoned finance professional with deep roots in AI, OpenAI is positioning itself to manage the financial, regulatory, and risk challenges that come with scaling an artificial general intelligence (AGI) platform. As Musk’s brief stint on the board has ended and Sam Altman continues to guide the company’s strategic vision, Liberatore’s leadership will play a critical role in ensuring that OpenAI can not only grow its product suite and market share but also maintain the public trust and regulatory compliance required for a technology that could fundamentally reshape the world.