OpenAI hires Patreon's cofounder in a push toward creator monetization
Three former Patreon executives have joined OpenAI to lead creator products, with new tools possibly teased before DevDay next week.
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Patreon cofounder and CTO Sam Yam has announced he is joining OpenAI to lead Creator Product, bringing former Patreon product head Drew Rowny and former engineering head Shannon Ma with him.
In his announcement, Yam said he will build with creators at OpenAI and share early access to a new set of tools, pointing to OpenAI DevDay on September 29; he also linked a post from Sam Altman teasing another big announcement this week. No product has shipped, and OpenAI entering creator monetization is The Verge's inference from the hires' background.
For Patreon, it is another loss of core talent after laying off 20 percent of its staff in January.