SAN FRANCISCO, California: OpenAI is planning a major hiring push that could nearly double its workforce to about 8,000 employees by the end of 2026, according to a Financial Times report citing people familiar with the matter.

The artificial intelligence company, which currently has around 4,500 employees, is expected to expand teams across product development, engineering, research, and sales as it scales its operations.

The report also said OpenAI is increasing recruitment for roles focused on "technical ambassadorship," aimed at helping businesses better integrate and use its AI tools.

The report could not immediately be verified, and OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.

The hiring plans come as competition in the artificial intelligence sector intensifies, with major technology companies racing to build and deploy advanced models.

OpenAI's most recent funding round valued the company at US$840 billion. The round included participation from large technology firms as well as SoftBank, led by Masayoshi Son, and was reported to total about $110 billion.

The company has been accelerating efforts to strengthen its position in the market. According to the Financial Times, CEO Sam Altman issued an internal "code red" in December last year, pausing non-core projects and redirecting teams to speed up development in response to competition from Google's Gemini 3 model.

OpenAI's expansion reflects broader industry trends, as companies invest heavily in talent to advance artificial intelligence capabilities and bring new products to market.

The focus on hiring in areas such as engineering and research highlights the importance of continued innovation, while the addition of roles aimed at customer support and integration signals a growing emphasis on enterprise adoption.

As demand for AI tools increases, companies are looking not only to build more powerful systems but also to ensure businesses can effectively deploy them.

The scale of OpenAI's planned hiring suggests it is preparing for sustained growth in both product development and commercial operations over the coming years.