Company profile
OpenAI
OpenAI builds the GPT family of models, ChatGPT, the Sora video model, and the Codex/API platform that the bulk of the AI developer ecosystem runs on. Interviews are competitive and atypical for the industry - expect strong applied-ML or distributed-systems questions, a take-home, and explicit mission-alignment conversations.
The OpenAI interview process
OpenAI loops are competitive and somewhat atypical. Expect strong applied-ML or distributed-systems questions depending on the team, often a take-home, and explicit conversations about mission alignment. The bar is high and the process moves with urgency, reflecting the pace of the org.
- 1
Recruiter and manager
Background, team match, and motivation.
- 2
Take-home or practical
A realistic engineering or ML task done on your own time.
- 3
Technical onsite
Applied ML or distributed systems at depth, plus coding.
- 4
Mission alignment
How you think about deploying powerful AI responsibly.
What OpenAI is looking for
What they value
- Strong applied depth in ML or systems
- Pragmatism: getting capable systems into users' hands
- Thoughtfulness about safety and impact
Culture signals in the loop
- Genuine investment in the mission and its stakes
- Bias to ship under fast-moving conditions
- Comfort with ambiguity at the research-product edge
Questions and process by role
OpenAI hires across several engineering and product functions, and the loop shifts with each one. Open a role for the reported questions, the round-by-round focus, and a salary band for that function.
- ML engineer
ML engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
engineering - AI engineer
AI engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
ai - AI infrastructure engineer
AI infrastructure engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
ai - AI red team engineer
AI red team engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
ai - AI research engineer
AI research engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
research - MLOps engineer
MLOps engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
ai - Backend engineer
Backend engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
engineering - Analytics engineer
Analytics engineer interview questions and process at OpenAI.
data
Salary signal
Approximate senior median pay for OpenAI's core roles, anchored to San Francisco and modeled from BLS, ONS, and Levels.fyi reference medians. These are market bands for the role and city, not OpenAI offers. Open a role for the full city-by-city table.
Employee reviews
OpenAI holds a 4.0 Glassdoor rating. External review scores are directional signals. Treat them as context alongside the specific team, location, level, and hiring manager you are interviewing with.
Glassdoor 4.0