Sam Altman shares hiring strategy, bats for talent over age: 'Inexperienced does not mean...'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke on "The Twenty Minute VC" podcast about his talent strategy, focusing on value and skill rather than age alone. In a candid discussion, he said companies gain from hiring both inexperienced younger workers and seasoned professionals, underlining that “inexperienced does not inherently mean not valuable.”

He stressed a balanced approach, recognising high potential in junior candidates while reserving higher-stakes projects for experienced staff. “You want both, and I think what you really want is just an extremely high talent bar of people at any age,” Altman remarked, adding that solely focusing on one age group would be "misguided."

Altman’s remarks come as Big Tech faces a sharply polarised job market. The competition for top-tier AI talent has led companies like Google and Microsoft to aggressively pursue high-level specialists, as seen in Google's recent $2.7 billion acquisition of Character.ai, largely driven by the desire to rehire AI expert Noam Shazeer. Microsoft, in a similar move, secured Inflection’s founders through a $650 million deal.

Despite this pursuit of top AI specialists, more junior tech roles have seen a hiring downturn. Recent graduates report difficulty finding work, citing factors like rising AI applications, tech layoffs, and offshoring, making entry-level roles far more competitive. A recent survey of 750 job seekers in the US highlighted these challenges, with numerous graduates unable to secure tech positions even with prestigious degrees and internships.