Barret Zoph leaves OpenAI again after five months

The Verge reported that Barret Zoph has departed OpenAI after returning in January to lead enterprise AI sales. His role mattered because OpenAI has been trying to focus more tightly on enterprise and coding revenue ahead of a planned IPO. Zoph previously left OpenAI for Thinking Machines Lab, the AI company founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, before returning with two colleagues earlier this year. OpenAI confirmed the departure to The Verge, and Zoph posted a goodbye message internally.

Key details: Published June 19, 2026 at 04:49 UTC, Zoph was OpenAI's head of enterprise AI sales, He had returned to OpenAI in January 2026, OpenAI confirmed the departure to The Verge.

Why it matters: OpenAI's enterprise push depends on execution and sales leadership, so another senior departure is part of the company's pre-IPO operating-risk story.