People seeking jobs at OpenAI should demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, actively use the company’s products, and show evidence of what they can build, according to a product manager at the AI company.
Ty Geri, who joined OpenAI in 2025 as a product manager, told Business Insider that the advice applies across roles, including engineering, research, product management and data science.
“I think OpenAI tries to hire people who are really passionate, and care, and want to be a part of this mission,” Geri said.
For prospective applicants, that means demonstrating more than technical qualifications or a strong résumé. Geri said candidates should incorporate AI products into their own work and daily workflows so they understand their capabilities and limitations firsthand.
“Try to bring these products into your life, into your workflows,” he said.
Geri acknowledged that OpenAI’s products can sometimes be imperfect or unfinished, but said that is part of the company’s approach to development. Candidates should be comfortable experimenting with technology that is still evolving and be willing to help push its capabilities.
“Try to bring these products into your life, into your workflows,” he said, adding that some products may be “a little rough today” because the company wants employees who are prepared to “push on the frontiers.”
Building Matters As Much As Credentials
Geri’s comments point to a hiring philosophy that places considerable value on evidence of experimentation and execution. He said OpenAI expects employees to engage in “a lot of building in public,” allowing colleagues to see what they are creating and test their work themselves.
He contrasted that approach with a more traditional development model in which someone can spend years working privately before revealing a finished product.
“You sit in a dark room, you come out three years later, and you’re like: ‘Voila, magic,’” Geri said, describing what he sees as a flawed approach to product development.
“That doesn’t fly at OpenAI.”
For applicants, the implication is that a portfolio of projects, experiments or publicly available work can provide a stronger demonstration of ability than simply describing skills on a résumé.
Geri said OpenAI employees are generally willing to experiment with new ideas. If an initial product or idea is not successful, colleagues may build on it and try again.
“If the product you put out is ‘not quite it yet,’” he said, others at the company will try again.
That willingness to iterate is central to what Geri described as OpenAI’s culture of experimentation and “big swings.”
Competition for AI Talent Is Intense
Geri’s advice comes as leading AI companies compete aggressively for engineers, researchers, product managers and other specialists capable of developing increasingly sophisticated models and applications.
A former OpenAI intern told Business Insider in July that prospective candidates should “go broad, specialize, and build,” while another OpenAI employee said a cold message on LinkedIn had helped him secure a position.
Career coach Sundeep Teki, who helps place talent at AI companies, said in June that OpenAI has one of the industry’s most difficult technical interview processes. That makes preparation particularly important for technical candidates, while maintaining a visible body of work can also help applicants get noticed.
AI companies have increasingly recruited talent through public technical work, meaning contributions to GitHub and other public projects can serve as an informal demonstration of expertise.
For candidates targeting OpenAI, the combination of technical preparation, hands-on use of AI tools and publicly demonstrated projects could therefore be particularly valuable.
Geri also said the willingness to experiment is one of the main differences between OpenAI and his previous employer, Google. The distinction is not necessarily about technical capability, but about the speed and willingness to test unconventional ideas.
“Larger companies in the space can sometimes be a little bit slower,” Geri said.
At OpenAI, he said, employees are encouraged to take risks and test ideas even when the outcome is uncertain.
That environment can be demanding. Geri admitted that the pace and uncertainty of experimentation can be stressful, but said it is also part of what makes working at the company appealing.
“It definitely stresses me out,” he said, “but I think it’s part of the fun.”
For job seekers, Geri’s message is that knowing AI theory is not enough. Candidates need to show curiosity, use the technology themselves, build things, share their work, and demonstrate that they are comfortable operating in an environment where products and ideas can change rapidly.






