OpenAI Hires 3 Former Patreon Executives to Build Creator Product Ahead of Sept. 29 DevDay
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Sep 23
OpenAI Hires 3 Former Patreon Executives to Build Creator Product Ahead of Sept. 29 DevDay
2 articles · Updated · The Verge · Sep 23
Summary
Sam Yam, Patreon’s co-founder and former technology chief, said he has joined OpenAI to lead Creator Product, bringing former Patreon product head Drew Rowny and engineering head Shannon Ma with him.
OpenAI is positioning the hires around new creator tools: Yam said the company will share early access to products for creators and their communities, and pointed to OpenAI DevDay on Sept. 29.
The trio gives OpenAI leadership steeped in the creator-subscription model, signaling a possible push into creator monetization as CEO Sam Altman also teases another announcement this week.
Patreon loses key executives after a difficult year that included a 20% staff cut in January and a recent roadmap aimed at overhauling user features.