# OpenAI targets 8,000 employees by end of 2026 to counter Anthropic

_Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 8:05 AM EDT · AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![OpenAI targets 8,000 employees by end of 2026 to counter Anthropic — Primary](https://images.ft.com/v3/image/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F24987a04-d6fe-43b9-bc71-ec2b30563709.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)

OpenAI plans to nearly double its workforce from 4,500 to 8,000 by end of 2026, Techmeme reported. The hiring push is driven by competition with Anthropic.

The target reflects the intensity of the AI talent war, where top researchers command compensation worth millions. Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Meta all compete for the same talent pool.

The growth would make OpenAI one of the fastest-scaling technology companies in history.

## Sources

- [Techmeme](http://www.techmeme.com/260321/p6#a260321p6)

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Retrieved: 2026-05-10T00:28:11.315Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)