OpenAI has hired Patreon co-founder Sam Yam to lead a new Creator Product division, The Information reported, with Yam bringing Patreon's former head of product Drew Rowny and former head of engineering Shannon Ma along. Yam confirmed the move on X, saying the team will 'build together with Creators at OpenAI' and share early access to a new set of tools, pointing to OpenAI DevDay on September 29.

The hire is a signal about where OpenAI thinks its creator story has been weak: its tools have been about output — ChatGPT writes, DALL-E draws — while none have touched the part Patreon owns, the fan who pays every month. Patreon says more than 300,000 creators use its platform, over 10 million fans pay for memberships monthly, and creators have earned more than $10 billion since 2013.

OpenAI has not said what the tools are or whether creators will be able to earn money through them. The move lands as the creator layer of AI becomes a real battleground — and with DevDay five days away, details should surface quickly.