OpenAI confirmed data-center executive Chris Malone departed as some whole-facility leasing projects restarted under other leadership.

An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed that Chris Malone was no longer with the company and said OpenAI had reorganized its infrastructure organization earlier in 2026. Malone reportedly left during the week before the disclosure.

Malone joined OpenAI in March 2025 and oversaw data-center construction associated with Stargate, the infrastructure initiative involving OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The sources describe him as a key executive responsible for data-center construction and expansion.

People familiar with the matter said OpenAI was restarting some internal infrastructure projects by leasing entire data-center facilities. Those projects had been transferred to other leaders, so the restart was not described as remaining under Malone’s control.

The supplied reports do not identify the number, location, power capacity or lease value of the restarted facilities. They also do not establish that the projects were operational at the time of Malone’s departure.