OpenAI spent 10 months searching for a PR head, finally poaching the Uber president who had previously turned them down.

Beating AI News Flash: OpenAI has announced that Uber President Jill Hazelbaker will join in early December as its newly created Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, overseeing global public relations, brand reputation, and external communications, reporting directly to OpenAI President Greg Brockman.

The poaching was not smooth. OpenAI's former Chief Communications Officer Hannah Wong departed in January this year, and the relevant leadership position remained vacant for nearly 10 months.

OpenAI extended an offer to Hazelbaker in the spring but was rejected, and later even hired headhunters to continue the search. She had only just been promoted to President of Uber in May this year.

Hazelbaker is a veteran crisis communications and policy expert in the tech industry. During her 11 years at Uber, she was involved in handling the company crisis after founder Travis Kalanick's ouster, and also helped push California Proposition 22, helping Uber preserve drivers' independent contractor status in the state and avoid a full conversion to employees.

Previously, she also held executive roles at Google and Snap, and was responsible for US presidential candidate McCain's campaign communications.

OpenAI is facing AI safety controversies, regulatory pressure, and IPO preparation challenges. For OpenAI, this hire is not just a brand PR head, but a veteran skilled at handling corporate reputation, regulatory battles, and public trust crises.