Samsung Electronics of South Korea announced on Tuesday that Han Jong-hee, 63, its co-CEO, had died after a heart attack.
TakeAway Points:
- Samsung Electronics of South Korea announced on Tuesday that Han Jong-hee, 63, its co-CEO, had died after a heart attack.
- The business said that Jun Young-hyun, who was named co-CEO in November of last year, will take over as CEO.
- After working his way up through the ranks at Samsung’s visual display division, Han was named CEO in 2022 after taking over as head of the product research and development team in 2011.
- Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said on Monday that Brad Lightcap, the company’s chief operating officer, will lead business alliances and international expansion.
Heart attack kills Han Jong-hee
He headed Samsung’s digital appliances division, as well as its device experience unit, which includes mobile phones and home appliances.
Han joined Samsung in 1988, rising through the ranks over the years and becoming the head of the product research and development team at the company’s visual display division in 2011. He was appointed CEO in 2022, according to the company website.
The company in a statement credited Han with helping Samsung become a global leader in TV business and for contributing to the company’s growth as an executive during a challenging business environment.
“Our deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Samsung said.
Han, one of four executive directors on Samsung’s board, had hosted the company’s annual general shareholders meeting in Suwon, South Korea, just one week ago, fielding questions about the firm’s poor stock performance.
The company said Jun Young-hyun— who was appointed as co-CEO in November last year— will become the sole CEO.
Samsung last year announced changes in the leadership of its memory and foundry chip divisions amid intense competition in the semiconductor space, appointing Jun as co-CEO and head of the memory chip arm.
OpenAI COO to lead global growth push in expanded role
OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap will spearhead global expansion and corporate partnerships, CEO Sam Altman said on Monday, as the Microsoft-backed startup seeks to cement its dominance in the rapidly growing AI industry.
Altman will increasingly focus on the technical side to boost the ChatGPT-maker’s research and product initiatives, while remaining in charge of things, OpenAI said.
The company is partnering with SoftBank Group and Oracle to establish a network of data centers under the $500-billion Stargate project, aimed at powering artificial intelligence workloads.
“Brad will lead our global deployment, focusing on business strategy, key partnerships, infrastructure, and operational excellence to maximize the impact of our research,” Altman said.
Lightcap, who previously worked with Altman at venture capital firm Y Combinator, joined OpenAI in 2018.
OpenAI has also expanded the role of Chief Research Officer Mark Chen, who will integrate research and product development, the startup’s co-founder said in a blog post.
Altman said in February that OpenAI would simplify its products, a sign the startup was willing to make changes to attract new investments amid growing investor scrutiny around massive artificial-intelligence spending.
San Francisco-based OpenAI, which is in the process of raising $40 billion, is seeking to transition into a for-profit entity, which it says is required to secure the capital needed to develop the best AI models.
The company closed a $6.6 billion funding round in October.
