OpenAI is Building a Jobs Platform to Rival LinkedIn

OpenAI is preparing to enter the hiring market with a new AI-powered jobs platform, a move that could place the company in direct competition with LinkedIn. The service, called the OpenAI Jobs Platform, is scheduled to launch by mid-2026.

The announcement came Thursday from Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, in a blog post outlining the company’s latest expansion plans.

The goal is to use artificial intelligence to “find the perfect matches between what companies need and what workers can offer.” She added that the platform will include a dedicated track for small businesses and local governments seeking AI talent.

Expanding Beyond ChatGPT

The jobs platform is part of a broader push by OpenAI to move beyond its flagship consumer product, ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman has tasked Simo with leading the company’s applications portfolio, which now includes the hiring platform and could eventually expand to products like a web browser and even a social media app.

The competitive stakes are high. LinkedIn, co-founded by early OpenAI investor Reid Hoffman and owned by Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest backer, already dominates the professional networking space. Over the past year, LinkedIn has added AI-driven tools to strengthen its matchmaking between employers and candidates.

OpenAI, for its part, is layering on education and certification to support its hiring ambitions. Through the OpenAI Academy, an online learning hub launched last year. The company plans to introduce certifications that validate “AI fluency” at different skill levels. A pilot program for OpenAI certifications is expected to begin in late 2025.