Chaya Nayak, who spent nearly nine years at Meta and most recently served as Director of Product Management for Generative AI, has joined OpenAI. She will work alongside Irina Kofman on special initiatives, focusing on opportunities at the frontier of AI. Nayak becomes the third Indian techie to leave Meta after Rishabh Agarwal and Avi Verma, both of whom were recruited for Meta Superintelligence Labs on million-dollar salaries.
Nayak announced her departure from Meta in a heartfelt LinkedIn post, saying she was “turning the page” in her career after nearly nine years at the company. She expressed gratitude for the chance to build products, lead the FORT team, and contribute to GenAI, including the development of three generations of Llama and Meta AI.
Indian-origin exec who worked on Meta Al quits to join OpenAl after 9 yrs amid poaching row.
Chaya Nayak, who worked as Director of Product Management, Generative Al at Meta, has quit the company after nine years to join OpenAl’s Special Initiatives amid a poaching spree largely… pic.twitter.com/uFFz80DPZa
— Nitesh Sharma (@nitesh1572) August 28, 2025
Reflecting on her early days, Nayak recalled joining Facebook to help jumpstart the Data for Good initiative, which grew into the foundation of her career. What was meant to be a short three-week stint ultimately became a decade of what she described as “the most pivotal experiences” of her life.
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During her time at Meta, Nayak highlighted the diverse opportunities she received, building teams, creating products, and navigating critical global events. She specifically noted her contributions during the 2020 U.S. elections, where she worked on projects that influenced public discourse and democracy, publishing papers in journals like Science. Her transition to Meta’s AI division marked another turning point, where she led efforts to solve complex challenges and explore how the next wave of AI could reshape society.
On a personal level, Nayak said Meta shaped her leadership style, teaching her confidence, boldness to pursue ambitious ideas, and resilience in challenging times. As she now embarks on her new journey with OpenAI, she called it the “perfect next chapter” to channel everything she has learned into advancing technology and society. At OpenAI, Nayak will collaborate with Irina Kofman on special initiatives that explore the frontier of artificial intelligence.
Beyond her recent achievements, Nayak’s career spans more than a decade across multiple industries and organizations. Beginning in Pune in 2010, she went on to roles in sustainability, consulting, and academia before moving into data science and product management in the U.S. She worked with firms like Samasource, Quid, and Premise Data, where she combined data-driven insights with social impact projects. Her career took a major leap in 2016 when she joined Facebook as Head of Data for Good, eventually rising to Director of Product Management for Generative AI. Today, as she takes on her new role at OpenAI, Nayak stands out as one of the few Indian-origin leaders shaping the global AI landscape.
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