Sam Altman said OpenAI was planning to 'dramatically slow down' its pace of hiring

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently shared insights into the company’s evolving approach to hiring in light of artificial intelligence's influence on the workforce. During a live-streamed town hall aimed primarily at developers, Altman clarified that while AI has indeed altered the pace of recruitment, OpenAI is not experiencing a hiring freeze and remains committed to maintaining a human workforce. "We are planning to dramatically slow down how quickly we grow because we think we'll be able to do so much more with fewer people," Altman stated, addressing a question regarding whether AI has modified the company's interview process for potential candidates. He emphasized the importance of a cautious hiring strategy, warning against aggressive recruitment followed by the realization that AI capabilities could reduce the need for staff. "What I think we shouldn't do, and what I hope other companies won't do either, is hire super aggressively, then realize all of a sudden AI can do a lot of stuff, and you need fewer people, and have to have some sort of very uncomfortable conversation," he added. This perspective comes in the context of broader economic trends, including a slowdown in job creation across the United States. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that the unemployment rate rose to its highest level since 2021 in November 2025, with job openings plummeting by 37% from their 2022 peak. The labor market dynamics have shifted significantly; where there were previously two job openings for every unemployed person in 2022, by September 2025, that ratio had decreased to one. Additionally, long-term unemployment is becoming a pressing issue, with a quarter of all unemployed Americans having been jobless for at least 27 weeks. Young workers, particularly those aged 20 to 24, have been disproportionately affected, facing an unemployment rate of 9.2% in recent months— the highest since the post-pandemic recovery began.