Ryan Beiermeister, a former VP of Product Policy at OpenAI, has joined venture capital firm Founders Fund as a partner. The move is notable given her recent high-profile exit from OpenAI and her growing public profile through a Founders Fund YouTube series, prompting speculation online that the show doubled as an audition for the job.

Beiermeister left OpenAI in February, reportedly after objecting to a planned "adult mode" feature that would have let ChatGPT be used for erotica; the Wall Street Journal reported her dismissal followed a discrimination accusation from a male colleague, which she denies, and OpenAI later scrapped the adult mode plans in March. She has since drawn attention for her performance on Founders Fund's "Mafia" show alongside figures such as Sam Altman and Palmer Luckey, though the firm says her hiring stemmed from a long-standing friendship with partner Trae Stephens, dating back to their time together at Palantir, rather than her game strategy. Beiermeister said she plans to focus on backing startups in areas such as AI infrastructure, defence, energy, climate and biotech.