OpenAI pilots 'mission interview' for hiring

OpenAI's new pilot comes as the company says it is looking to standardize its evaluations as it matures and grows in size. The company, which has roughly 8,000 employees worldwide, had 830 open roles as of this writing, and by standardizing the process it aims to have a consistent measure to evaluate new employees across teams.

The mission interview is not unique to OpenAI. Many tech companies, including Meta and Amazon, have their own version of a mission interview, which is somewhat akin to a test of cultural fit. Amazon employees can be trained as 'bar raisers' — interviewers from outside the hiring team, who assess whether a candidate meets Amazon's company-wide 'Leadership Principals.' In Anthropic's version, interviewers reportedly test if candidates are joining the AI lab for its mission or the money, according to Axios.

That question of motivation carries weight because jobs at leading AI companies are incredibly lucrative. Many positions at OpenAI currently offer over $300K salaries, and much more with stock included, while one software engineer with six years of experience reportedly received an offer from OpenAI for $935,000 total compensation, according to the anonymous professional network Blind. The pilot's outcome is likely to hinge on whether the training program for certified interviewers ramps up enough to support teams beyond marketing and human resources.