OpenAI announces AI-powered hiring platform to take on LinkedIn

OpenAI says it’s developing an AI-powered hiring platform to connect businesses and employees, a service that would put the outfit in close competition with LinkedIn. The product is called the OpenAI Jobs Platform, and the company expects to launch the service by mid-2026, an OpenAI spokesperson told TechCrunch.

OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji Simo announced the new endeavor in a blog post Thursday, saying the company will “use AI to help find the perfect matches between what companies need and what workers can offer.” Simo said the service would offer a dedicated track for small businesses and local governments to access top AI talent.

OpenAI is interested in expanding into several new markets beyond its core consumer offering, ChatGPT. At a recent dinner with reporters, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Simo would oversee several applications beyond the chatbot. This will apparently include the OpenAI Jobs Platform and potentially other offerings OpenAI is reportedly working on, such as a browser and a social media app.

Notably, OpenAI’s hiring platform could put the company in direct competition with LinkedIn, which was co-founded by Reid Hoffman, one of OpenAI’s earliest investors. LinkedIn is also owned by Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest financial backer.

In the last year, LinkedIn has worked to infuse its platform with AI features to help match job candidates with businesses.

OpenAI also says it will start offering certifications for people with different levels of “AI fluency” through its OpenAI Academy, an online program the company launched last year. An OpenAI spokesperson says the company plans to launch a pilot of OpenAI Certifications in late 2025.

Many tech executives have raised concerns that AI will disrupt numerous traditional jobs. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said that AI could eliminate up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs before 2030. In her blog post, Simo acknowledged that risk, saying OpenAI can’t prevent that disruption. However, she says the company can do its part by helping people become fluent in AI and connecting them with companies that need their skills.

The ChatGPT maker says it’s working with Walmart, one of the biggest private employers in the world, on its certification program and aims to certify 10 million Americans by 2030.

OpenAI says it’s launching these programs as part of its commitment to the White House’s initiative to expand AI literacy. Altman and other Big Tech executives are meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to discuss AI.