TLDR: Chaya Nayak, a distinguished Indian-origin AI leader, has concluded her decade-long tenure at Meta to embark on a new role within OpenAI’s Special Initiatives team, under the leadership of Irina Kofman. Her move signifies a notable loss for Meta’s AI division and is part of a broader trend of top AI talent migrating to other leading AI organizations. Nayak’s extensive experience includes pioneering work in generative AI, such as developing Meta’s Llama models, and leading impactful “Data for Good” initiatives.
Chaya Nayak, a prominent Indian-origin tech professional and a key figure in artificial intelligence development, has announced her departure from Meta after more than ten years of service. She is set to join OpenAI’s Special Initiatives team, a move she describes as the “perfect next chapter” in her career, aiming to contribute to defining the future of technology and society. This transition was confirmed via a detailed LinkedIn post by Nayak on August 28, 2025, where she reflected on her extensive journey and future aspirations.
Nayak’s tenure at Meta (formerly Facebook) began with the “Data for Good” initiative, an endeavor focused on leveraging data and AI/ML to address global challenges. Her contributions expanded significantly over the years, including the development of “Disaster Maps” to support communities in crisis. She also spearheaded the Facebook Open Research and Transparency (FORT) team, which concentrated on critical areas such as data cleaning, differential privacy, and establishing data clean rooms to facilitate responsible research on the platform. Furthermore, Nayak played a crucial role in Meta’s global response efforts during the 2020 US elections and co-authored academic publications exploring social media’s impact on democracy.
In her most recent 2.5 years at Meta, Nayak was instrumental in the Generative AI division, contributing to the creation of three generations of the Llama large language models and Meta AI. She emphasized learning “confidence, resilience, and the boldness to chase audacious ideas” during her time, crediting her colleagues for shaping her leadership.
Her new role at OpenAI will involve working on “Special Initiatives” alongside Irina Kofman, focusing on exploring cutting-edge opportunities at the frontier of artificial intelligence. This strategic move is seen as an opportunity for Nayak to apply her expertise in ethical AI and socially beneficial innovation.
Nayak’s departure is not an isolated incident but rather part of a larger trend of high-profile AI researchers leaving Meta. Recent reports indicate that other prominent AI experts, including Rishabh Agarwal, Avi Verma, and Ethan Knight from Meta’s Superintelligence Labs (MSL), have also resigned. Notably, Verma and Knight have also joined OpenAI, while Agarwal reportedly left a seven-figure salary, driven by a desire to embrace new challenges and risks.
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Academically, Chaya Nayak holds a Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies (summa cum laude) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with concentrations in Security, Peace Studies, and Spanish. She further pursued a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in Public Policy and Data Science. Her early career involved collaborations with organizations like Samasource, the Institute for the Future, The Ergo Group, Quid, and Premise Data Corporation, where she focused on data-driven policy and engineering solutions for clients such as the World Bank and Standard Chartered.
