OpenAI is looking to hire an investment banker for its AI division.

      OpenAI is looking to hire an investment-banking "subject matter expert" for its Applied AI team, offering a salary between $185K and $205K, plus equity, to establish standards for AI-assisted banking tasks. This recruitment indicates OpenAI's entry into the finance sector, one of the most profitable areas for enterprise AI, where it is competing with Anthropic. The position focuses on instructing models on when to automate analytic tasks and when to rely on human judgment.

      The company is seeking an investment-banking specialist to enhance its AI's understanding of the industry. The job listing requires a “subject matter expert” with a minimum of two years of investment experience for its San Francisco-based Applied AI team. According to Business Insider, the base salary ranges from $185,000 to $205,000, with the addition of equity, which has gained significance after OpenAI took initial steps toward a long-anticipated IPO last month.

      The new hire will "define the quality bar for AI-assisted investment banking work," as stated in the posting. This entails bringing a deep understanding of research, financial modeling, valuation, diligence, and the various client materials that a banker typically handles daily.

      The role emphasizes the importance of judgment in addition to execution. OpenAI seeks someone who comprehends the progression from junior analyst to director and can identify where AI should take over tasks, aid in decision-making, or remain under human supervision. This is not OpenAI's initial effort in this direction, as the company is part of a broader trend of hiring finance professionals. Both banks and AI firms are offering former Wall Street employees up to $25,000 per day to train models based on their previous work.

      Finance represents one of the most lucrative opportunities within enterprise AI, which explains the interest from various labs. Anthropic noted in May that financial services is its second-largest revenue sector, having developed a $1.5 billion pipeline directed at Wall Street to leverage this advantage.

      In response, OpenAI is active on several fronts, having recently launched a multi-billion-dollar Deployment Company with backing from Goldman Sachs. The company is also expanding ChatGPT's capabilities towards personal finance, broadening its application beyond trading to everyday banking.

      Banks are heavily investing in technology, with JPMorgan allocating $18 billion annually and Goldman Sachs investing $6 billion. Goldman has supported OpenAI's cybersecurity initiative, while JPMorgan was an early collaborator in Anthropic’s competitor Glasswing project.

      The proposition to banks is straightforward: allow AI to handle the mundane tasks of models and presentation decks typically required of analysts. This aligns with the automation strategy that Citi’s Jane Fraser has described as one of the two key AI competitions transforming the industry.

      OpenAI demonstrated financial capabilities during the launch of GPT-5.5 in April, and while a broader release of GPT-5.6 has been prepared, it has been paused at the request of the Trump administration. The technology is advancing rapidly, outpacing the planned rollout schedules.

      By hiring a banker to evaluate the AI's output, OpenAI aims to bridge the gap between an impressive demonstration and the level of work that would meet a managing director's approval. The primary focus is on tasks suited for junior analysts, which the job listing clearly indicates.