Open artificial intelligence CEO Sam Altman Promote a recruitment approach that prioritizes talent over age, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a diverse workforce that combines experienced professionals with promising young talent.
Speaking on the 20VC podcast, Altman emphasized the value of bringing together different experience levels within technology companies.
“I think the strategy of ‘I’ll only hire young people’ or ‘I’ll only hire older people’ is misguided,” Altman said on the Nov. 4 show.
He emphasized that a lack of experience does not necessarily equal a lack of value, suggesting that companies should be willing to take advantage of high-potential talent early in their careers.
However, Altman acknowledges the need for balance, especially when dealing with complex projects. He noted that while young talent is valuable, he would be hesitant to assign critical, high-risk jobs like designing expensive systems to inexperienced employees.
This balanced recruiting philosophy comes against the backdrop of an increasingly polarized tech job market. While companies compete fiercely for advanced AI talent — such as Google’s recent $2.7 billion deal with Character.ai and Microsoft’s $650 million deal with Inflection — entry-level candidates Face huge challenges.
