OpenAI has hired Mike Liberatore – xAI’s latest high-profile departure – as its new business finance officer, escalating tensions between billionaire rivals Sam Altman and Elon Musk.

Liberatore – who exited xAI in July after just three months on the job – will start Tuesday in his new role overseeing the company’s massive, all-in infrastructure spending, according to CNBC .

He will report to OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and work with Greg Brockman’s team to manage the contracts and capital behind OpenAI’s cloud computing strategy. 3

Liberatore is just the latest in a series of executive departures from Musk’s artificial-intelligence startup, as its chatbot Grok has suffered a string of flagrant public malfunctions. The reason for his departure is unknown.

Other departures this summer

See Full Page