Fidji Simo

Fidji Simo (born 5 October 1985) is a French-American businesswoman and the incoming CEO of Applications at OpenAI and the outgoing CEO of Instacart. Prior to OpenAI and Instacart she spent a decade at Facebook where she was one of the top executives as the Head of Facebook. She co-founded the Metrodora Institute, a health clinic and research institute, and is currently president of The Metrodora Foundation. She is on the Board of Directors at OpenAI and Shopify.

Personal life and education

Simo grew up in Sète, in the south of France, and now lives in California. She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school, and holds a master of management degree from HEC Paris. She spent the last year of her program at UCLA's Anderson School of Business.

In October 2021, Simo co-founded the Metrodora Institute, a health clinic and research institute. Simo is now the President of the Metrodora Foundation. The Metrodora Institute is a research institute dedicated to the care and cure of complex chronic conditions.

Simo is married to a French engineer Remy Miralles, who became a chocolatier in San Francisco. She has a daughter.

Career

eBay

Simo worked at eBay from 2007 to 2011 as part of the strategy team. While at eBay, she built out the company’s local commerce and classified-advertising initiatives.

Facebook

Prior to joining Instacart, Simo was the Vice President and Head of Facebook. Over the course of her decade at Facebook, she oversaw the development and strategy for Facebook, including News Feed, Stories, Groups, Video, Marketplace, Gaming, News, Dating, Ads and more. She also led the team in charge of architecting Facebook’s advertising business and monetizing mobile. She made video a critical part of the Facebook experience, from rolling out videos that autoplay in News Feed, to building and launching Facebook Live and Facebook Watch. Simo joined Facebook from eBay in 2011.

Instacart

Simo joined Instacart’s board of directors in January 2021, and was appointed as the company’s CEO in July. She started in the new role in August, replacing Apoorva Mehta, who became the executive chairman of the board.

In September 2023, Instacart appointed Simo to succeed Apoorva Mehta as the Board Chair following the company's initial public offering.

Under Fidji's leadership, Instacart broke the longest tech IPO drought in the last 20 years, listing under the ticker symbol CART on Nasdaq in September 2023.

Fidji announced on May 7th, 2025 that as part of her transition to OpenAI she would be leaving the CEO role in several months but would remain as Chair of the board.

Metrodora

Simo is the founder of Metrodora Institute and President of the Metrodora Foundation. The institute opened its doors in April 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Institute “aims to accelerate cures for neuroimmune disorders by reimagining how patients are treated, and how they participate in research.” The Institute has $35 million from an undisclosed venture investor. The Institute both conducts research and treats patients. It has a particular interest in interdisciplinary work, breaking apart the silos of current medical practice.

The Metrodora Institute welcomes those suffering from diseases that many doctors fail to diagnose, and often do not know how to treat.

Simo was motivated to start this medical venture by her own experience.

The name of the institute is from ancient Greece: “ Metrodora was a Greek physician who wrote a medical text, most likely titled “On Women's Diseases,” in the late fifth century C.E., which is thought to be the oldest surviving medical text by a woman.”

OpenAI

In March 2024, she joined OpenAI's board of directors. On May 7, 2025, she announced she will be leaving Instacart in the coming months to become CEO of OpenAI Applications, a newly created role at the company leading product, business, tech and engineering, and other company functions. She will be reporting to founder and CEO Sam Altman. Fidji will remain Chair of the Instacart Board to support the company’s new CEO.

Other activities

Simo co-founded Women in Product, a nonprofit organization for women in product management. The organization works to advance the careers of women in technology and advocates for equal representation in the workplace. Previously Simo was on the boards of the L.A. Dance Project and Cirque du Soleil.

In December 2021, Simo joined Shopify's board of directors.

Villa Albertine Residency Program

Fidji launched a new “Arts in the Age of AI” residency program in partnership with Villa Albertine in February 2025. The French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, announced the launch of the new residency program as part of the AI Action Summit’s Cultural Weekend. This initiative will host eight artists who incorporate artificial intelligence into their work in the United States over a period of two years.

Recognition

* Simo has been recognized by ''Fortune'' as part of their annual Most Powerful Women List (2023), 13 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health List (2023), and 40 under 40 List (2021 & 2016).
* She has been featured on Comparably’s list of Best Company CEOs (2023).
* She has been listed on Fast Company’s list of Most Creative People in Business.
* She has been included on AdWeek’s list of the top 15 people shaping the future of mobile advertising.
* Simo was ranked 10th most influential French person in the world by Vanity Fair.
* In 2024, she was listed on CNBC inaugural Changemakers list, recognizing the top female leaders transforming business.
* Fidji was named 2024 Executive of the Year by San Francisco Business Times.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simo, Fidji
Living people
Facebook employees
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
HEC Paris alumni
1985 births
People from Sète
21st-century French businesspeople