What It’s Really Like to Work at OpenAI: Insights from a Former Engineer

Unveiling the Reality of OpenAI Culture

Calvin French-Owen, a former engineer at OpenAI, recently shared his firsthand insights about life at the forefront of artificial intelligence. His tenure, marked by the “sleepless sprint” to develop Codex, a coding agent contending with heavyweights like Cursor and Claude Code, unraveled the multifaceted challenges and rapid growth the company experienced. French-Owen’s departure was not due to any internal strife but a personal choice to return to startup innovation—a path he knows well as the co-founder of Segment, a successful startup acquired by Twilio for a staggering $3.2 billion.

From Growth to Chaos: The Double-Edged Sword

OpenAI’s hypergrowth, expanding from 1,000 to 3,000 employees in just a year, created both excitement and disorder. French-Owen noted, “Everything breaks when you scale that quickly,” highlighting issues in communication, management structures, and processes. This chaotic environment, reminiscent of a burgeoning startup, allowed a degree of freedom, permitting employees to pursue ideas without excessive bureaucracy. However, this freedom also led to overlaps in work, with teams duplicating efforts in developing multiple libraries for similar functions.

The Varied Skillset Quandary

French-Owen painted a picture of the talent landscape at OpenAI, where skills ranged from the seasoned expertise of ex-Google engineers—who crafted programs capable of handling astronomical user counts—to less experienced PhD graduates. This disparity contributed to a “back-end monolith” of code, cluttered with contributions that could be perceived as disorganized. The flexibility of Python as a programming language further allowed this chaos as it had no strict enforcement on coding standards. For startup entrepreneurs, these insights could translate into pivotal lessons on quality control and team dynamics.

Navigating Misconceptions of AI Giants

While the chaotic vibe at OpenAI might deter some potential employees, it also reveals a core myth about tech giants: that they are devoid of the nimbleness found in smaller startups. French-Owen’s account challenges this notion, instead depicting a workplace where innovation thrives on agility and boldness, albeit accompanied by a disorderly backdrop.

Your Startup Journey Awaits

For aspiring entrepreneurs, understanding the inner workings of companies like OpenAI illustrates the complexities of rapid growth and innovation. As the tech landscape evolves, leveraging insights from those who have navigated these waters can equip you with essential strategies for success. If you're looking for ways to invest smarter and innovate, consider exploring our resources.