The shift from blockchain to artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly apparent within industries.
Reports of companies or individuals transitioning away from cryptocurrency towards artificial intelligence are frequent. Bitcoin miners are shifting their focus from mining operations to AI infrastructure, and venture capital firms are prioritizing funding for AI ventures over crypto startups.
However, it’s particularly noteworthy when key members from the same team at one company move en masse to another nearby firm. This seems to be happening with Coinbase’s senior marketing staff, who have been joining OpenAI in San Francisco, known for creating ChatGPT. Although a large team of marketers exists at Coinbase, these six high-level positions represent only a fraction.
The migration started with Sarah Russell, who joined OpenAI as VP of integrated marketing and operations in November 2024 after leaving her role at Coinbase in January 2023. Prior to Coinbase, she worked at Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters.
A month later, Kate Rouch took up the position of chief marketing officer at OpenAI, having served three and a half years in the same capacity at Coinbase. Her previous experience includes over 11 years as global head of brand and product marketing at Meta.
Following her, Elke Karstens became OpenAI’s head of international marketing in March 2025 after a brief stint with a London-based paytech startup, Finom. Before this, she had spent more than a decade at Meta in various marketing roles.
In September, Kaitlin Gianetti was appointed as the head of integrated marketing management at OpenAI shortly after leaving Coinbase, where she served over four years as director of integrated marketing. Amy (Good) Robbins joined as brand insights lead right after her three and half year tenure as senior manager of insights at Coinbase.
Most recently, in December 2025, Nina Mogavero took a position in marketing strategy and operations at OpenAI, following her three-year stint at Coinbase.
An insider indicated that these departures weren’t accidental, noting Rouch’s central role in attracting former Coinbase colleagues to OpenAI. “She recruited many of them from Facebook,” they mentioned. Kate Rouch did not comment when approached for a statement.
A spokesperson from Coinbase dismissed concerns over the staffing changes: “Coinbase’s marketing team consists of more than 150 people, and although some have joined OpenAI last year, it’s simply typical employee turnover.” Meanwhile, OpenAI remained silent on inquiries.
This trend extends beyond marketing departments. Earlier this month, Tom Duff Gordon left Coinbase as VP of international policy to become OpenAI’s head of EMEA Policy.
Coinbase’s talent drain isn’t limited to OpenAI; Sarah Wolf recently departed after nearly five years at Coinbase as the lead marketer for their Base layer-2 network, moving on to lead startup marketing at AI lab Anthropic.