Internship

Software Engineer

Cooperative AI

OpenAI

OpenAI

5,001-10,000 employees

Develops safe AI models and tools

Compensation Overview

$110.58 - $185.10/hr

Seattle, WA, USA + 1 more

More locations: San Francisco, CA, USA

In Person

Category
Software Engineering (2)
,
Required Skills
Kubernetes
Python
Data Science
Git
Docker
REST APIs

People at OpenAI

People at OpenAI who can refer or advise you

Requirements
  • Software Engineers who are passionate about blending production-ready platform architecture with new technology.
  • Experience owning the end-to-end development lifecycle for new platform capabilities and integrations with other systems.
  • Ability to collaborate closely with engineers, data scientists, information systems architects, and internal customers to understand their problems and implement effective solutions.
  • Ability to work with product and research teams to share relevant feedback and iterate on applying their latest models.
Responsibilities
  • Own the end-to-end development lifecycle for new platform capabilities and integrations with other systems.
  • Collaborate closely with engineers, data scientists, information systems architects, and internal customers to understand their problems and implement effective solutions.
  • Work with product and research teams to share relevant feedback and iterate on applying their latest models.

OpenAI conducts AI research and deployment to build advanced AI models and tools that help people automate tasks, be more creative, and make better decisions. Its products include ChatGPT, a conversational AI that can write, code, tutor, and assist in interactive tasks, and Sora, which can generate videos from text prompts. OpenAI’s models typically run through cloud-based services and subscriptions, with licensing and partnerships for broader use. The company operates a capped-profit model to balance generating revenue with ensuring safety, ethics, and long-term societal benefits. Its approach emphasizes safety, responsible deployment, and collaboration with researchers, governments, and institutions. The goal is to ensure artificial general intelligence, when it arrives, benefits all of humanity and minimizes risks.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

Private

Total Funding

$196B

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2015

People at OpenAI

People at OpenAI who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • OpenAI enterprise momentum will regain in H1 2026 with new revenue and engagement models.
  • Partner Network launched in 2025 expands global AI solution building, selling, and delivery.
  • Content partnerships with TIME, Axios, and El País integrate diverse journalism into ChatGPT Search.

What critics are saying

  • Sophisticated AI price wars with Anthropic force sharp enterprise price cuts, risking IPO valuation.
  • Extreme cash burn of $21B/year erodes margin sustainability despite $13B revenue.
  • Over-reliance on Microsoft creates circular economics and exposes OpenAI to partnership termination risks.

What makes OpenAI unique

  • OpenAI keeps most differentiated tech proprietary and uses strategic partnerships to deploy it.
  • The company shifts revenue from API tokens to outcome-based arrangements sharing customer revenue.
  • OpenAI is building ChatGPT into an everything app combining search, messaging, and commerce.

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Benefits

Health insurance

Dental and vision insurance

Flexible spending account for healthcare and dependent care

Mental healthcare service

Fertility treatment coverage

401(k) with generous matching

20-week paid parental leave

Life insurance (complimentary)

AD&D insurance (complimentary)

Short-term/long-term disability insurance (complimentary)

Optional buy-up life insurance

Flexible work hours and unlimited paid time off (we encourage 4+ weeks per year)

Annual learning & development stipend

Regular team happy hours and outings

Daily catered lunch and dinner

Travel to domestic conferences

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-7%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

4%
Pravda USA
Jul 2nd, 2026
OpenAI to give US government 5% stake worth $42B as AI bubble concerns mount

OpenAI has agreed to give a 5% stake to the US government, worth approximately $42 billion based on the startup's $850 billion valuation. The White House aims to improve AI's reputation amongst Americans by claiming the state will profit from the growing sector and share returns with the population. However, OpenAI and other American AI startups currently incur substantial annual losses running into tens of billions of dollars, surviving only through venture capital. OpenAI plans to spend $1 trillion on data centres and research over the next decade. The political environment is challenging, with the Democratic Party's left wing proposing to nationalise 50% of AI startups and impose strict regulations. Most Americans view the AI boom and accompanying electricity price increases negatively. For OpenAI, this soft nationalisation offers potential government support when the bubble eventually bursts.

NPR
Jun 15th, 2026
Oracle and OpenAI's $165B New Mexico data center sparks drought fears among local farmers

One of America's largest data centres is being built in drought-stricken southern New Mexico, sparking concerns about water usage despite promises from developers. Project Jupiter, a 1,400-acre facility for Oracle and OpenAI, has drawn scepticism from locals and farmers who rely on the dwindling Rio Grande. The project, which could cost $165 billion, switched from water-intensive natural gas turbines to fuel cells, now claiming it will use about 11 million gallons of non-potable recycled water. Developers purchased water rights from a local sod farm to address concerns. Critics question the rushed approval process and long-term water availability in the Chihuahuan desert. The Centre for Biological Diversity has protested, warning the project risks violating interstate water compacts. However, county officials tout Jupiter's promised economic benefits: hundreds of jobs and $360 million for local infrastructure.

Wake Up Singapore
May 25th, 2026
OpenAI commits over $225M to Singapore, launches first Applied AI Lab outside US

OpenAI has committed over S$300 million (approximately $220 million) to Singapore's artificial intelligence ecosystem, establishing its first Applied AI Lab outside the United States. The partnership, formalised through a memorandum of understanding with Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information, was announced during the ATxSummit. The initiative focuses on deploying AI across public services, finance, healthcare, education and digital infrastructure. Around 200 specialised roles, including forward-deployed engineers, will be created over the coming years to support implementation with companies and government partners. The programme will include talent development, enterprise adoption support and AI safety frameworks. OpenAI will conduct training initiatives to build local technical capabilities. The investment positions Singapore as a regional operational hub for AI deployment in Southeast Asia.

NPR
May 25th, 2026
CSU spends $30M on OpenAI deal despite student and faculty scepticism about AI in education

The California State University system has renewed its contract with OpenAI for $13 million annually over three years, following an initial $17 million deal, aiming to become the first AI-powered institution of its kind in the US. The partnership provides ChatGPT Edu to roughly 470,000 students, faculty and staff across 22 campuses. However, a recent survey of over 94,000 respondents revealed widespread scepticism. Roughly 65% of students and 59% of faculty doubted AI's educational benefits, whilst large majorities worried about impacts on creativity, job security and the environment. About 80% of students said they wouldn't feel comfortable submitting AI-generated work as their own. CSU officials defended the no-bid contract as essential for preparing students for an AI-driven workforce, noting that only around a quarter of ChatGPT users accessed the university-provided version.

Robinhood Markets
May 18th, 2026
Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI) Announces $75M Investment in OpenAI

Robinhood Ventures Fund I (NYSE: RVI) announced it has closed an investment in OpenAI. On April 17, 2026 RVI purchased approximately $75 million of common stock of OpenAI.