The co-founder, product manager, and engineering manager of the patronage platform 'Patreon' has joined OpenAI.



Sam Yam, co-founder of

Patreon , a patronage platform known for supporting creators, has announced that he has joined OpenAI. Along with Yam, Drew Rowney, Head of Product, and Shannon Ma, Head of Engineering, have also moved to OpenAI.





Patreon is a platform founded in 2013 that allows anyone to become a patron and support creators.

'Patreon' allows anyone to become a patron of creators who make great things - GIGAZINE



Although the business has been performing well in recent years, the company has reviewed its cost structure in order to maintain a stable foundation for creators, and in July 2026, it laid off 93 employees, which is 20% of its workforce.

Patreon lays off 20% of its employees - GIGAZINE



Yam, one of the co-founders of Patreon, has now joined OpenAI along with former Patreon product manager Drew Rowney and former Patreon engineering manager Shannon Ma. At OpenAI, he will be leading the creator-focused product division.

Yam said, 'At OpenAI, we plan to work with creators to develop and deliver new tools that we are confident will be valuable to creators and communities. I love creators and the uncompromising passion they put into their creative work. I believe that human creativity is more important than anything else. Creators have the power to shape culture and unite diverse communities. I look forward to bringing even more of their ideas to life.'

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