OpenAI hires former xAI CFO Mike Liberatore as business finance officer

OpenAI has hired Mike Liberatore, former finance chief at Elon Musk’s xAI, to be the artificial intelligence startup’s business finance officer, responsible for overseeing its AI infrastructure, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.

Liberatore, who left xAI in July after just three months on the job, will report to CFO Sarah Friar and work with Greg Brockman’s team, which is charged with scaling OpenAI’s access to compute, the spokesperson said.

CNBC, which first reported the news, said Liberatore will begin his role on Tuesday.

Liberatore, who is also a former Airbnb executive, was involved in xAI’s $5 billion debt raise in June and a separate $5 billion strategic equity investment.

His appointment comes amid a rivalry between Musk’s company and OpenAI, as well as a fierce battle among tech companies for AI talent.

Musk, an OpenAI co-founder, had sued the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, last year for allegedly deviating from its original mission to benefit humanity. OpenAI countersued Musk in April for harassment.