OpenAI hires Uber president Jill Hazelbaker to lead its communications

Uber president Jill Hazelbaker is joining OpenAI as its chief corporate affairs officer, the company announced on Tuesday . She will lead OpenAI’s global communications and corporate positioning.

Hazelbaker will report to co-founder and president Greg Brockman and starts in early December, OpenAI told Fortune . She will stay on the US East Coast and spend time in San Francisco, where OpenAI is based, Emily Forlini of Fortune reported.

“AI represents the most profound technological shift of our lifetime. The stakes are enormous, the possibilities are extraordinary, and the work of building public trust has never been more consequential.” Jill Hazelbaker

Brockman said in the announcement that how OpenAI communicates and earns public trust “has never been more important”.

OpenAI’s previous chief communications officer, Hannah Wong, left in January, Fortune reported. Chris Lehane, who leads OpenAI’s global affairs work , has run the team since then.

OpenAI offered Hazelbaker the job in the spring and she turned it down, Fortune reported in September.

An OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg the role is new and goes beyond a typical communications chief. It covers communications, reputation, the corporate brand, social media and partnerships, as well as work to build public trust.

The hire follows OpenAI’s appointment of former US Army secretary Dan Driscoll this week. Brockman has said OpenAI should be ready for an IPO in 2027.

Hazelbaker joined Uber in 2015, after Snap and Google, and led its policy and communications under co-founder Travis Kalanick, Bloomberg reported. She became president in May, adding human resources and real estate. A month later she announced HR job cuts at Uber.

She is the latest senior executive to leave Uber this year, Bloomberg reported. Sarfraz Maredia, who runs autonomous mobility and delivery, leaves later this month, and delivery chief Susan Anderson left in June.

Before tech, Hazelbaker worked in US politics, according to OpenAI. She was national communications director for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and press secretary to New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.