OpenAI plans to build a jobs platform and an AI skills-certification system, positioning the San Francisco company further into employment services alongside established players. According to SFGATE, the move appears aimed at LinkedIn’s core turf, with OpenAI telling TechCrunch that the jobs site is slated to open in mid-2026.
Jobs matching and local focus
OpenAI apps executive Fidji Simo described AI as “disruptive,” adding that the company wants to help more people become fluent in AI and connect them with companies that need their skills. In a blog post cited by SFGATE, Simo said the platform “will have knowledgeable, experienced candidates at every level, and opportunities for anyone looking to put their skills to use.”
The site is expected to use AI to match companies’ roles with workers. It will also include a feature focused on local businesses and help local governments find workers, Simo wrote. She said OpenAI is working on jobs initiatives with business associations, naming the Bay Area Council, and pointed to the Texas Association of Business as an example that would use OpenAI’s site to connect Texas employers with “talented people who can help them modernize their businesses.”
Context with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn
SFGATE notes that LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, boasts over 1 billion users and tens of millions of weekly job searchers. The new competition adds a wrinkle to OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft, though Simo did not mention LinkedIn in her post. Neither OpenAI nor LinkedIn immediately responded to SFGATE’s requests for comment.
AI fluency certifications and broader ambitions
Much like LinkedIn’s professional certificates, OpenAI’s plan includes “certifications for different levels of AI fluency, from the basics of using AI at work all the way up to AI-custom jobs and prompt engineering,” Simo wrote. LinkedIn has already been adding AI to its features and training courses, SFGATE reported.
The article adds that since launching ChatGPT in November 2022, OpenAI has expanded its model releases and user base while exploring new products beyond the chatbot. Reports this year outlined ambitions for a web browser challenging Google, collaboration tools akin to Google Workspace and Microsoft Office, and a hardware product targeting the smartphone industry, according to SFGATE.
While LinkedIn has faced complaints, SFGATE writes that it maintains significant staying power. Whether OpenAI’s jobs platform becomes a substantial competitor or remains a side project remains to be seen, the outlet reported.
