MAM
Jeff Shell departs as president of Paramount Skydance
Media executive exits amid legal battle with professional gambler.
MUMBAI: Jeff Shell has just had another high-profile exit from a major media company and this time, the drama involves a $150 million lawsuit and allegations of leaked secrets. The former NBCUniversal CEO is stepping down as president of Paramount Skydance to focus on defending himself against a lawsuit filed by professional gambler R.J. Cipriani. Cipriani claims Shell owes him $150 million for crisis communications services and accuses the executive of sharing confidential information about Paramount Skydance, including details of a potential $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition and a $7.7 billion UFC rights deal.
Paramount Skydance confirmed Shell’s departure on Wednesday, stating that he is leaving to prioritise the lawsuit. The company added that an independent investigation found no violation of securities laws by Shell.
In a strongly worded statement, Paramount Skydance described Cipriani’s claims as “frivolous and baseless” and said Shell had promptly notified the company of the accusations. Shell has filed a countercomplaint, accusing Cipriani of extortion and defamation.
This marks Shell’s second major exit in three years. He was ousted from NBCUniversal in April 2023 following an internal investigation into an “inappropriate” relationship with an employee who had filed a complaint of sexual harassment and sex discrimination. He joined Paramount Skydance in July 2024 as David Ellison’s right-hand man.
Shell was tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations during the integration of Skydance Media and Paramount Global. He played a key role in identifying cost savings and job cuts ahead of the potential Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
His sudden departure adds to the turbulence at Paramount Skydance as it navigates a massive merger, expected layoffs, and leadership transitions. David Ellison now faces the challenge of managing the brain drain while closing one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
In the cut-throat world of Hollywood dealmaking, Jeff Shell’s exit shows that even seasoned executives can find themselves caught in a plot twist they didn’t see coming. The credits on this particular chapter are still rolling.
MAM
Three senior OpenAI infrastructure executives join Meta
Key members of Stargate project move to rival amid aggressive AI spending race.
MUMBAI: Three key architects of OpenAI’s ambitious data centre plans have switched sides and joined Meta Platforms, according to people familiar with the matter. Peter Hoeschele, who played a central role in OpenAI’s high-profile Stargate initiative, is among the new hires. He is joined by Shamez Hemani, who focused on computing strategy and business development, and Anuj Saharan, another leader in the computing organisation. The Information first reported their departure from OpenAI on Thursday.
The moves come as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend aggressively on AI infrastructure. The company is projecting capital expenditure of up to $135 billion this year alone, with hundreds of billions more expected before the end of the decade to support its Meta Superintelligence Labs and new models such as Muse Spark.
OpenAI, which is pushing ahead with massive data centre expansion, had described its early lead in securing computing power as a competitive advantage. Stargate, originally announced last year as a $500 billion venture involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, has since become an umbrella term for the company’s broader data centre ambitions. However, the project has seen recent adjustments, including a pause on its UK plans and the decision not to expand the Abilene, Texas site.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment, while Hoeschele, Hemani, and Saharan also declined to comment. OpenAI said it was grateful for the contributions of the three employees and remains focused on hiring talent for its infrastructure plans. The company recently brought in former Intel executive Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute efforts.
In the high-stakes race to build the future of artificial intelligence, talent is proving to be as valuable as computing power itself. Meta’s latest hires suggest the competition for top infrastructure minds is intensifying, even as OpenAI continues to scale its own ambitious projects. The move highlights how quickly the AI talent war is heating up across Silicon Valley.
