OpenAI said it plans to nearly double its workforce to 8,000 from the existing 4,500 by the end of 2026, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.
As per the report, the AI startup is set to deploy most of the new hires across product development, engineering, research and sales.
The ChatGPT-maker is also reportedly ramping up recruitment of specialists focused on "technical ambassadorship," aimed at helping businesses make better use of its tools, as per FT.
OpenAI’s move comes as it reportedly steps up efforts to win over business customers and close the gap with rival Anthropic in a race for a market valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Anthropic hits a $380 billion valuation
In February this year, Anthropic said it is valued at $380 billion.
The maker of the chatbot Claude said its valuation grew after it raised $30 billion in its latest round of funding, led by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and the US-based investment firm Coatue, along with dozens of other major investors.
The funding also includes part of the $15 billion that Nvidia and Microsoft pledged to Anthropic in November, reported AP.
As part of that deal, Anthropic is expected to spend around $30 billion on computing capacity from Microsoft to build and run AI systems like Claude. The company has also received strong backing from cloud giants Amazon and Google.
OpenAI's latest funding round valued it at $840 billion, as Big Tech and Masayoshi Son's Softbank joined its blockbuster $110 billion round.
OpenAI's plans for new office in San Francisco
OpenAI has also reportedly signed a new lease for office space in San Francisco – pushing its total footprint in the city to over 1mn sq ft as it prepares to double its work force.
What is behind the hiring spree?
Both Open AI and Anthropic are currently operating at a loss — pouring billions of dollars more than they earn to train AI models
They are now under growing pressure to rein in costs, boost revenues and turn profitable, especially as both companies prepare for potential public listings as early as this year, as per FT's report.
That urgency has sparked a hiring surge across AI groups to help customise AI models and drive revenue.
