Rs 1.7 crore salary to train AI and replace human jobs? OpenAI is hiring investment bankers
OpenAI is offering up to Rs 1.7 crore in base salary to hire an investment banker, but the role is to help train AI for Wall Street tasks. As AI takes on more financial work, the job itself raises questions about the future of human roles in investment banking.
AI is already changing how software is written, customer support is handled, and even how research is done. Now, OpenAI appears to be targeting one of the world's most demanding white-collar professions, investment banking. According to Business Insider, the company is hiring an investment banking expert for its Applied AI team in San Francisco, offering a base salary of $185,000 to $205,000 (around Rs 1.6 crore to Rs 1.7 crore), along with equity. But this isn't a traditional banking job. Instead, the person will help train and evaluate AI systems that could eventually take over many of the repetitive tasks investment bankers handle every day.
According to the job listing, OpenAI wants someone with at least two years of investment banking experience who has worked on company and industry research, financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal execution, and preparing client presentations.
"You will bring deep, current knowledge of how investment banking work is actually performed, including company and industry research, financial analysis and modeling, valuation, diligence, transaction execution, and the creation and review of client materials," the company said in the job description.
Rather than hiring someone to advise clients or close deals, OpenAI wants an expert who can help its AI models understand how investment bankers actually work. The company says the person will help "define the quality bar for AI-assisted investment banking work." That means testing AI-generated outputs, identifying where AI performs well, and helping product teams build tools that solve real problems for banking professionals.
The role also involves working closely with OpenAI's product teams to identify the most valuable use cases for AI in investment banking, create new AI-powered workflows, and check whether those tools meet the expectations of professionals in the industry. OpenAI is also looking for someone who understands how responsibilities change as bankers move from analyst roles to senior leadership positions.
"Understand how work and judgment evolve from junior analyst through director, and can identify where AI should automate execution, support decision-making, or remain subject to human review," the job description adds.
The report does not suggest that OpenAI plans to fire the person after the AI has been trained. However, the role raises an interesting question that the successful candidate will help teach AI how investment banking work is done, and as those systems become more capable, it remains uncertain how such roles could evolve in the future.
AI firms are racing to win Wall Street
The hiring push suggests how AI companies are increasingly focusing on financial services, one of the most lucrative enterprise markets. And OpenAI is not alone in this. Rival AI company Anthropic recently introduced a new set of AI agents designed to automate many of the repetitive tasks commonly performed in financial institutions. According to the company, financial services has become its second-largest enterprise business after technology.
OpenAI has also been showcasing how its latest AI models can handle knowledge-heavy work, including financial analysis. While the company is reportedly preparing a wider release of GPT-5.6, those plans have been temporarily paused.
Meanwhile, major investment banks continue to invest billions of dollars in AI. JPMorgan Chase is spending around $18 billion annually on technology, with AI as a major priority, while Goldman Sachs is investing about $6 billion this year in technology.
Goldman Sachs has also backed OpenAI's Deployment Company venture and partnered with the company on its Trusted Access for Cyber programme. JPMorgan, on the other hand, was among the early partners in Anthropic's AI initiatives for enterprise customers.
AI is already changing how software is written, customer support is handled, and even how research is done. Now, OpenAI appears to be targeting one of the world's most demanding white-collar professions, investment banking. According to Business Insider, the company is hiring an investment banking expert for its Applied AI team in San Francisco, offering a base salary of $185,000 to $205,000 (around Rs 1.6 crore to Rs 1.7 crore), along with equity. But this isn't a traditional banking job. Instead, the person will help train and evaluate AI systems that could eventually take over many of the repetitive tasks investment bankers handle every day.
According to the job listing, OpenAI wants someone with at least two years of investment banking experience who has worked on company and industry research, financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal execution, and preparing client presentations.
"You will bring deep, current knowledge of how investment banking work is actually performed, including company and industry research, financial analysis and modeling, valuation, diligence, transaction execution, and the creation and review of client materials," the company said in the job description.
Rather than hiring someone to advise clients or close deals, OpenAI wants an expert who can help its AI models understand how investment bankers actually work. The company says the person will help "define the quality bar for AI-assisted investment banking work." That means testing AI-generated outputs, identifying where AI performs well, and helping product teams build tools that solve real problems for banking professionals.
The role also involves working closely with OpenAI's product teams to identify the most valuable use cases for AI in investment banking, create new AI-powered workflows, and check whether those tools meet the expectations of professionals in the industry. OpenAI is also looking for someone who understands how responsibilities change as bankers move from analyst roles to senior leadership positions.
"Understand how work and judgment evolve from junior analyst through director, and can identify where AI should automate execution, support decision-making, or remain subject to human review," the job description adds.
The report does not suggest that OpenAI plans to fire the person after the AI has been trained. However, the role raises an interesting question that the successful candidate will help teach AI how investment banking work is done, and as those systems become more capable, it remains uncertain how such roles could evolve in the future.
AI firms are racing to win Wall Street
The hiring push suggests how AI companies are increasingly focusing on financial services, one of the most lucrative enterprise markets. And OpenAI is not alone in this. Rival AI company Anthropic recently introduced a new set of AI agents designed to automate many of the repetitive tasks commonly performed in financial institutions. According to the company, financial services has become its second-largest enterprise business after technology.
OpenAI has also been showcasing how its latest AI models can handle knowledge-heavy work, including financial analysis. While the company is reportedly preparing a wider release of GPT-5.6, those plans have been temporarily paused.
Meanwhile, major investment banks continue to invest billions of dollars in AI. JPMorgan Chase is spending around $18 billion annually on technology, with AI as a major priority, while Goldman Sachs is investing about $6 billion this year in technology.
Goldman Sachs has also backed OpenAI's Deployment Company venture and partnered with the company on its Trusted Access for Cyber programme. JPMorgan, on the other hand, was among the early partners in Anthropic's AI initiatives for enterprise customers.
