Sam Altman Says Hiring Strategy Should Be Balanced, Talks About Value Of Younger Employees

He said we need to recognise high potential in younger candidates while keeping aside higher-stake projects for experienced employees

Graduates recently have reported that they are facing difficulty in finding work due to factors such as increasing AI applications, tech layoffs, and offshoring.

Source : X/@sama

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently talked about his hiring strategy. Speaking on ‘The Twenty Minute VC’ podcast, the executive said that he prefers to focus on value and skill instead of just prioritising age alone.

In the conversation, Altman said that companies benefit from bringing onboard both inexperienced younger people and seasoned professionals. He highlighted that ‘inexperienced does not inherently mean not valuable’, reported Moneycontrol.

Sharing his perspective on hiring, he called for a more balanced approach to the process. He said we need to recognise high potential in younger candidates while keeping aside higher-stake projects for experienced employees. He noted that focusing on a single age group would be ‘misguided’ and ‘you want both, and I think what you really want is just an extremely high talent bar of people at any age’.

Notably, the competition for top tier AI talent has resulted in firms such as Google and Microsoft aggressively seeking high-level experts. At the same time, more junior level roles in the tech industry have seen a slump in hiring.

Graduates recently have reported that they are facing difficulty in finding work due to factors such as increasing AI applications, tech layoffs, and offshoring. These factors have made entry-level roles in the industry much more competitive.

A recent survey including 750 job seekers in the US found that several graduates are not able to find jobs in the tech industry as a result of these issues. These challenges are also impacting mid-career and senior employees, who expressed frustration regarding the ageism in the industry. Meanwhile, younger employees noted that they face negative stereotyping issues.