Altman says – Sam Altman challenged the idea that AI adoption automatically leads to job cuts, saying many companies using AI most aggressively are also hiring. His remarks came as OpenAI broke ground on a massive 1 gigawatt data center near Detroit, a project already spark
For the third straight day, the talk around generative AI hasn’t been about capabilities—it’s been about jobs. On a Monday interview stage, Sam Altman stepped into that fear with a counterpoint sharp enough to land in the middle of the debate.
He argued that the companies embracing AI the most are also the ones hiring the most. “The companies that I know that have adopted AI the most are also the ones hiring the most. ” Altman said during a Monday interview on CNBC. “And the companies. as a general rule. that are talking about doing layoffs because of AI are the ones adopting AI the least.”.
The setting carried its own kind of weight: the interview took place on OpenAI’s Saline Township campus in front of heavy construction equipment. with work underway on a major new build. Altman used that proximity to highlight what it looks like when an AI push stops being a headline and turns into concrete.
AI can also serve as a convenient cover, he said. “And the companies, as a general rule, that are talking about doing layoffs because of AI are the ones adopting AI the least,” he added—then pointed to another angle: AI can be a “convenient way” for companies to explain layoffs.
Altman said he remains unsure how AI will ultimately affect employment. but his view has become more optimistic after watching companies adopt OpenAI’s coding tools. including Codex. “I think I underestimated how jagged these models are going to be,” he said. “They do some things incredibly well, but they don’t do kind of the long-term, complex task supervision well at all.”.
Job anxiety has been spreading far beyond tech forums. Workers and executives have increasingly voiced worry about what generative AI will mean for white-collar jobs. Several tech leaders—including Microsoft AI’s CEO. Mustafa Suleyman. and Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei—have warned that AI could replace large numbers of workers.
Other companies have added to the unease by citing AI when announcing layoffs, including Block, Cisco, Coinbase, Snap, and Salesforce.
Public opinion is reflecting that tension. A March Pew Research Center poll found that 50% of Americans were more concerned than excited about AI’s increased use in daily life. compared with 10% who were more excited than concerned. The anxiety is also playing out physically. Data center projects have sparked protests in communities across the country. as nearby residents wrestle with the scale of the investment and what comes with it.
As Altman spoke in Saline Township. the numbers on the project—one gigawatt and tens of billions of dollars in capital—were more than figures to him. “Every time I come to one of these sites, I’m struck again,” he said. “The numbers say one gigawatt this, this many jobs, or tens of billions of dollars in capital. It doesn’t really get across the feeling of watching something like this materialize.”.
OpenAI’s breakthrough moment—officially marked with a grounding for the facility—came roughly 50 miles southwest of Detroit. When finished, the project is expected to deliver about five times the power of the average current data center project.
OpenAI has framed the build as an economic boost for the area. In a press release, the company said it would create 2,500 union construction jobs and another 450 permanent on-site jobs.
Locally, the enthusiasm has been complicated by hostility that has moved from argument to danger. Last week, Saline Township Treasurer Jennifer Zink stepped down from her position, citing violent threats she said she had received since the data center project was approved.
Altman also acknowledged how OpenAI’s own messaging may have fed public anxiety about job loss. He said he regrets some of OpenAI’s past press releases that might have contributed to that unease. pointing to a December press release for GPT-5.2. In that release, OpenAI said the model “outperforms professionals across 44 occupations.”.
Altman said he wished OpenAI had been more precise. “What I wish we had said then is that it outperforms professionals at small tasks in 44 occupations. which is. I think. a more accurate thing. ” he said. “I think people are right to be anxious. And I understand it. This is not even a technological shift that happens every generation. This is one of the big ones.”.
The clash underneath Altman’s comments is already visible in the way people talk about AI. One camp sees adoption as a straightforward path to fewer workers; the other points to messy realities—models that don’t reliably handle the long, complex supervision that companies want.
Behind the rhetoric, the project’s launch date and the scale of its power still move the story from theory to lived experience: a construction site taking shape, promises of jobs on paper, and threats severe enough to force an elected official out of her role.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Sam Altman OpenAI AI jobs layoffs Codex data center one gigawatt Detroit Saline Township Jennifer Zink GPT-5.2 Mustafa Suleyman Dario Amodei Pew Research Center