Fidjii Simo reflects on 'one of the greatest honours of my life' as she ends four year Instacart CEO run and makes OpenAI move

Fidjii Simo signed off as CEO at grocery technology specialist Instacart on Friday.

Her departure for a new challenge at OpenAI was announced back in May.

In an email to employees, she said: “Let me start by saying this was an incredibly hard decision because I love this company. We are operating incredibly well as our last earnings results have shown. Our strategy is working and this team is top notch, which makes it very hard to leave.”

“At the same time, you all know my passion for AI generally and in particular for the potential it has to cure diseases - the ability to lead such an important part of our collective future was a hard opportunity to pass up. I only feel comfortable doing this because Instacart is on an excellent track and in great hands with a stellar management team.”

In a LinkedIn post on Friday, Simo said: "Last day today! Being CEO of Instacart has been one of the greatest honours of my life, and I can’t believe it’s time to say goodbye. This job inspired and challenged me in all the best ways."

"Most of all, it connected me with an incredible group of people who poured their hearts into the work because helping people put food on the table is one of the most noble things you can do. I'm so proud of what we built together over the last four years, and I leave knowing that the company couldn't be in better hands than with Chris Rogers who has the vision and drive to accelerate us into the next chapter. Thank you to the entire team - my heart and my fridge will always be full thanks to my time at Instacart."

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

AI will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.