CFO DIVE Asks Cowen Partners About OpenAI’s New BFO
OpenAI has appointed Mike Liberatore, former CFO of Elon Musk’s xAI, as its new business finance officer (BFO) for AI infrastructure, effective Tuesday, a spokesperson confirmed to CFO Dive.
The move follows Liberatore’s sudden July departure from xAI after just four months as CFO, part of a wave of leadership turnover.
Shawn Cole, President of Cowen Partners Executive Search, said Liberatore’s hire underscores a shift in AI companies’ finance priorities.
“AI companies are tilting toward CFOs who can structure capital and tame infrastructure costs, even if they are not AI-native,” Cole said. “These specialized business finance roles are emerging as infrastructure demands accelerate.”
While Cole noted Liberatore “may come with a learning curve” in AI operations, his financing background stands out. At xAI, he helped raise $10 billion in debt and equity in July. At Airbnb, where he spent nine years, he most recently served as vice president of finance and corporate development. Earlier roles included SquareTrade, PayPal, and eBay.
“CFOs and finance leaders in AI are being hired less for their AI chops and more for their ability to scale capital structures to match the staggering infrastructure demands of this industry,” Cole said.
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About Cowen Partners Executive Search
SCowen Partners Executive Search is a leading national executive search firm, known for placing world-class C-suite leaders, board members, and senior executives across industries. Specializing in finding and recruiting top talent, we provide clients with comprehensive access to the executive marketplace, ensuring that each search is tailored to the unique needs of the organization. Our clients benefit from a proven track record of delivering high-impact leaders who drive growth, innovation, and performance.
At Cowen Partners, we go beyond traditional executive search by offering strategic insights and expertise that help companies build high-performing teams and navigate complex market challenges. Whether it’s sourcing transformative CEOs, CFOs, or board directors, we are committed to excellence, transparency, and results-driven solutions, making us the trusted partner for businesses looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
About Shawn Cole, President & Cofounder
Shawn Cole is a serial entrepreneur and executive leader with over 15 years’ experience founding and running successful companies. Shawn’s business career has been centered on value creation for both turnarounds and startups.
Shawn is President and Co-Founder of Cowen Partners Executive Search, a national CFO executive search firm focused on the key elements of a successful business: sales, marketing, and finance. Business clients across the country trust Cowen Partners Executive Search to take their companies to the next level by finding them executive talent, such as a CEO, CFO, COO, Chief Revenue Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer. Clients are both small and large, publicly traded, pre-IPO, private, and non-profit organizations, typically $50 million to multi-billion dollar revenue Fortune 1000 companies or have assets between $1 billion and $15 billion.
An active participant in the business community and startup space, Shawn Co-Chairs The Cowen Partners Venture Fund, which provides seed funding and early-stage investments, focusing on market disruptors in niche markets, community businesses, and minority entrepreneurs.
Shawn attended Oregon State University’s College of Business Austin Entrepreneurship Program and participated in a first-of-its-kind experiential entrepreneurship experiment at Weatherford Hall. He was also a Founding Member and President of Oregon State University’s Students in Free Enterprise, an international non-profit organization working with university students who want to positively change their communities and learn practical knowledge to become socially responsible business leaders.
At the age of 16, Shawn became a volunteer firefighter and EMT, eventually founding and managing a half-marathon to raise funds for the community. To date, he has raised over one million dollars benefiting the community.
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