Executive Spotlight: Sarah Friar, Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI (2027)
Sarah Friar is the Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI. OpenAI announced on June 10, 2024 that she was joining to lead its finance team, and CNBC's September 2026 coverage still identifies her in that role. Before OpenAI she was CEO of Nextdoor and, earlier, CFO of Square.
This page covers public professional information only, drawn from published news coverage and a conference speaker biography.
Current role and company
Friar is OpenAI's finance chief. In OpenAI's June 2024 announcement, as reported by CNBC, the company said she would lead a finance team that supports its mission and keeps investing in core research while scaling for a growing customer base. In 2026 she appears in the news as the executive speaking to investors and employees about revenue, compute and the company's plans to go public.
- CompanyOpenAI.
- TitleChief Financial Officer.
- AnnouncedJune 10, 2024, per CNBC.
- Previous rolesCEO of Nextdoor; CFO of Square.
Career path
- Education. Her speaker biography lists a master's in metallurgy, economics and management from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
- Early career. The same biography lists leadership positions at McKinsey in London and South Africa and executive roles at Goldman Sachs.
- Salesforce. She served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Strategy.
- Square. She was Chief Financial Officer and led the company's 2015 IPO.
- Nextdoor. She was CEO from December 2018 to May 2024 and helped take the company public in 2021.
- OpenAI. She joined as the company's CFO in June 2024. CFO.com reported the role had been vacant for about two years and that OpenAI said it wanted an executive dedicated to overseeing its finances.
What she is known for
- Two public listings. She led Square's 2015 IPO as CFO and was CEO when Nextdoor went public in 2021, according to her biography and CFO.com.
- Funding OpenAI's compute. In a June 2026 Fortune interview she called compute a very scarce resource and defended the company's heavy infrastructure spending, saying that even in 2026 OpenAI would not have enough compute.
- Enterprise shift. At an August 14, 2026 investor meeting she said the majority of OpenAI's revenue was now enterprise, CNBC reported.
- IPO messaging. CNBC reported that in August 2026 she told employees OpenAI will be a public company in 2027, possibly earlier if the business keeps growing.
Leadership style and philosophy
Her own recent remarks center on safety, return on investment and skills. On CNBC's Mad Money in September 2026 she said "We do need to take safety seriously," and that OpenAI would base investment decisions on a strong ROI. She also said that if researchers advised slowing down, OpenAI would listen and she would make the business decisions that follow. In June 2026 Fortune quoted her saying she probably would not hire a finance person who does not know how to use a tool like Codex.
Key numbers
Figures about OpenAI as reported in the press during 2026, with the period shown. They describe the company, not Friar personally, and several come from media reports of company statements or documents rather than a company filing.
- Annualized revenue run rate$40 billion as of August 2026, confirmed to CNBC; up 20 percent month over month in July.
- 2025 revenue$13.07 billion, per audited documents cited by Yahoo Finance.
- 2025 net loss$38.5 billion, per the same documents.
- Revenue mixStarted 2026 at about 60-40 consumer to enterprise, per Friar; enterprise is now the majority.
- AdvertisingApproaching a $1 billion run rate as of August 2026, per CNBC.
- Valuation$852 billion, per Yahoo Finance in July 2026.
What to watch next
Worth tracking: whether OpenAI lists in 2027 as Friar told employees, how the enterprise share of revenue develops, and how the company funds its compute commitments. Reporting also notes confidential IPO filings in June 2026 and executive departures in August 2026.
Questions people ask
Who is Sarah Friar?
She is the Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI and a former CEO of Nextdoor and CFO of Square.
When did Sarah Friar become OpenAI's CFO?
OpenAI announced her hire on June 10, 2024.
What did Sarah Friar do before OpenAI?
She was CEO of Nextdoor from December 2018 to May 2024, and before that CFO of Square.
Where did Sarah Friar study?
Her speaker biography lists a master's from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Has Sarah Friar said when OpenAI will go public?
CNBC reported she told employees in August 2026 that OpenAI will be a public company in 2027, possibly earlier. Executives declined to discuss timing at an investor meeting, citing a confidential SEC filing.
Is enterprise or consumer bigger at OpenAI?
At an August 14, 2026 investor meeting Friar said the majority of OpenAI's revenue is now enterprise.
Sources
- CNBC: OpenAI CFO Friar tells investors enterprise is bigger than consumer (Aug 14, 2026) · Revenue mix, run rate, advertising
- CNBC: Sarah Friar on safety and AI development (Sept 15, 2026) · Quotes on safety and ROI, IPO remark
- Fortune: OpenAI CFO on AI tools in finance hiring (June 5, 2026) · Compute and hiring remarks
- Yahoo Finance: OpenAI CFO says July ARR topped Q2 · All-hands remarks, 2025 revenue and loss, valuation
- CNBC via NBC Los Angeles: OpenAI hires new CFO (June 2024) · Hire announcement
- CFO.com: OpenAI hires Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar as first CFO · Hiring context and career
- Hope Global Forums: Sarah Friar speaker biography · Education and career positions
- Wikimedia Commons: Sarah Friar MoneyConf 2018 (cropped) · Hero photo, CC BY 2.0
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026, partly through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original pages. The hero photo shows Sarah Friar at MoneyConf 2018 in Dublin, taken by Stephen McCarthy for MoneyConf via Sportsfile and licensed CC BY 2.0 (cropped). This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Stephen McCarthy / MoneyConf / Sportsfile, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)