Patreon co-founder Sam Yam joins OpenAI to lead new creator product division
OpenAI hired Patreon co-founder Sam Yam on September 24 as head of a newly created creator product division, reporting under the Codex line of business.
On September 24, Patreon co-founder Sam Yam announced on X that he is joining OpenAI to lead a newly created Creator Product division, reporting to Codex business lead Thibaut Sottiaux. Former Patreon head of product Drew Rowney and former head of engineering Shannon Ma will also join.
The hire is read as a signal that OpenAI is re-prioritizing consumer products. In March this year, OpenAI shut down the Sora video app and its API to concentrate resources on coding and enterprise customers. In his new role, Yam will oversee products targeting creators and online communities, including partnerships with influencers across parenting, fitness, education, and travel that promote ChatGPT.
Yam co-founded Patreon in 2013 with Stanford roommate Jack Conte, building the direct creator-to-fan monetization platform that reached a $4.25 billion valuation in April 2021 and now hosts more than 300,000 creators. The hire was announced one week before OpenAI's annual DevDay developer conference.