OpenAI names former xAI CFO as business finance leader

OpenAI has appointed Mike Liberatore, former finance chief of xAI, to the role of business finance officer for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Reporting to CFO Sarah Friar, he will “focus on supporting the team charged with scaling OpenAI’s access to compute.” Shawn Cole, president of boutique executive search firm Cowen Partners, said: “AI companies are tilting toward CFOs who can structure capital and tame infrastructure costs, even if they’re not ‘AI-native,’ with more specialized ‘business finance’ roles emerging and faster executive rotations increasing costs and volatility.”