OpenAI Steps Into Jobs Market With AI Hiring Platform, Training Programs, and Chip Ambitions

OpenAI will build an AI-powered platform that will help you get a job. The move pits OpenAI directly in competition with LinkedIn, the professional networking site that has long dominated the category.

The rivalry is exciting given that LinkedIn's co-founder, Reid Hoffman, was an early backer of OpenAI. Microsoft is also the owner of LinkedIn and a major investor in OpenAI. This sets up a complex landscape in which OpenAI's new offering may end up competing with a company closely associated with one of its largest partners.

The announcement came from Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, in a blog post. She explained that the aim is to "match what companies need with what workers can offer." The platform will also provide a special option for small businesses and local governments to recruit talent.

In addition to the hiring platform, OpenAI is working on the training side by offering classes to workers on AI skills. The company intends to introduce certificates of completion in late 2025 via its OpenAI Academy. These certifications will gauge "AI fluency" and begin with a pilot. Walmart, one of the world's biggest employers, is already working with OpenAI to assist in this endeavor. Success would see 10 million Americans certified by 2030.

OpenAI is bringing these projects to the people as its contribution to the White House's AI knowledge initiative. Altman and other tech executives have met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss AI's role in jobs and workforce development.

Besides launching various new tools, Sam Altman has also unveiled a plan to manufacture AI chips in collaboration with semiconductor firm Broadcom to reduce its dependency on Nvidia. The chips will be deployed across OpenAI's own infrastructure. The first chip is expected to be ready by early 2026.

The efforts follow a debate over the impact of AI on jobs that has taken on new urgency. Industry leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, caution that automation has the potential to eliminate a significant portion of white-collar roles in the next decade. OpenAI recognizes the risks but says its role is to help workers adapt to change—by equipping them with the skills, certifications, and opportunities to thrive in an AI-driven economy.