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William Peebles

Research scientist (former OpenAI), OpenAI

William (Bill) Peebles is a research scientist known for leading OpenAI's Sora video-generation effort and for co-authoring Scalable Diffusion Models with Transformers (DiT). He left OpenAI in April 2026 after Sora's consumer product was wound down; The Verge later reported he co-founded an unnamed AI video startup with Jeffrey Katzenberg.1234

At a glance

Current role
None confirmed in the sources
Work listed
1
Sources cited
4
Profile reviewed

Accomplishments

  • Former OpenAI Head of Sora.3
  • Co-author of Diffusion Transformers (DiT).2

Sora and DiT

Peebles's site listed him as Head of Sora at OpenAI. He co-authored the DiT paper (ICCV 2023 Oral) with Saining Xie, a widely used diffusion-transformer architecture.12

Departure and new venture

The Verge and TechCrunch reported his April 2026 departure from OpenAI alongside other cuts to non-core product lines. In September 2026 The Verge reported he was launching an AI video company with Jeffrey Katzenberg; the venture's name was not yet public.34

Work and contributions

Timeline

  1. DiT paper (ICCV Oral).2
  2. Left OpenAI.3

Documented roles

The sources do not confirm a current role; these are the roles they document.

  • Former Head of Sora / research scientist, OpenAI13

Companies in their history

Suggest a correction or removal

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References

4 sources · profile reviewed Oct 23, 2026 · data updated Oct 23, 2026

  1. William PeeblesWilliam Peebles · Official page · accessed Oct 23, 2026
  2. Scalable Diffusion Models with TransformersarXiv · Official page · published Dec 2022 · accessed Oct 23, 2026
  3. OpenAI's former Sora boss is leavingThe Verge · News report · published Apr 17, 2026 · accessed Oct 23, 2026
  4. Former Sora boss launching AI video startupThe Verge · News report · published Sep 11, 2026 · accessed Oct 23, 2026