OpenAI and Anthropic are battling Big Tech for talent. We asked workers who's winning them over — and who's not.
Tech workers are weighing the appeal of frontier AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic against the stability and scale of established Big Tech companies. While AI labs offer cutting-edge opportunities, some professionals prioritize the practical application of skills in existing marketplaces over the speculative nature of new AI models.
Why it matters
The competition for AI talent is reshaping the labor market in the tech sector, influencing where top engineers choose to build their careers.
Mike Kostersitz (left), Abhinav Bohra (center), and Sneja Shah (right) shared their dream employers and the companies they might pass on. Mike Kostersitz (left), Abhinav Bohra (center), and Sneja Shah (right) Tech companies are competing fiercely for workers who can help them win the AI race. We asked eight tech workers for their dream employers — and the companies they'd pass on. Some favored OpenAI or Anthropic, while others preferred Big Tech. While tech companies are pouring billions into AI infrastructure , they are also competing fiercely for AI talent — and the AI boom is reshaping the choices available to workers. Alongside established giants like Apple, Google, and Amazon, frontier AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic now offer the chance to work at the edge of a technological shift, with potentially significant financial upside.
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