Ever wondered what it takes to land a job at an (AI) company like OpenAI? Sam Altman-led OpenAI’s economic research team is looking for researchers who can combine strong analytical skills with flexibility, collaboration, and independent thinking.
According to Ronnie Chatterji, OpenAI’s chief , understanding AI’s impact on jobs is a job in itself, with employees on the research team being tasked with studying how the technology is affecting workers, businesses, institutions, and the broader economy, Business Insider reported Saturday (local time).
Chatterji said succeeding in these roles requires a combination of skills and adaptability, as the fast pace of AI development can quickly shift the direction of the team’s work. He added that the economic research team’s work is evolving alongside AI. Topics that were not previously part of their research agenda can become important quickly as technology continues to advance at a fast pace. One such area he cited was recursive self-improvement, or AI systems becoming capable of improving themselves.
Speaking to Business Insider, Chatterji said, “The job description is changing a lot.”
Who is Ronnie Chatterji?
After working in policymaking and academia, Chatterji joined in 2024. Some of his previous stints included working as a coordinator for the former US President administration’s $52 billion CHIPS programme. He also served as an acting deputy director of the National Economic Council. Chatterji was also the chief economist at the US Commerce Department and is a professor of business and public policy at Duke University.
At OpenAI, he is tasked with leading an economic research team of roughly a dozen people, which includes economists, data scientists, business professionals, former teachers, and former government workers, and he said he is looking to hire more people.
What does Chatterji’s team do at OpenAI?
Chatterji said the team’s research broadly focuses on three key areas: the impact AI is currently having on jobs, how businesses are adopting the and restructuring their organisations, and the potential economic implications of increasingly advanced AI systems.
What is Chatterji’s team looking for in new hires?
Elaborating on what his team is looking for in new hires, Chatterji said candidates must be comfortable working on questions that don’t usually have a straightforward answer. He noted, “You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” highlighting the importance of rigorous economic thinking combined with an ability to adapt as the subject changes.
Another important requirement is collaboration. The economic research team works not just with OpenAI employees, but with governments and universities as well. Chatterji noted that the complexity of AI’s economic effects makes cooperation across organisations important.
He added that the team members are expected to identify crucial problems on their own rather than executing a predetermined research agenda. Chatterji said they need to consider which questions are worth investigating and who could benefit from the resulting work.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the economy, Chatterji’s team is looking for researchers who can keep pace with its rapid evolution while asking the questions that matter most.