OpenAI has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle allegations from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that it discriminated against U.S. workers by favoring temporary visa holders in its hiring practices. The settlement, announced on Tuesday (August 4), involves a $1.2 million civil penalty and a $2 million fund to compensate affected workers.
The DOJ’s investigation revealed that OpenAI and its subsidiary, Statsig Inc., did not publicly post certain job openings before hiring foreign workers, allegedly violating immigration laws. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that it is illegal to prioritize temporary visa holders over U.S. workers.
Despite denying the DOJ’s findings, OpenAI agreed to the settlement to resolve the matter and focus on its immigration-related hiring program. The company emphasized its global recruitment efforts to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
OpenAI will also revise its hiring policies, undergo periodic monitoring, and train staff on immigration law compliance. This settlement marks the DOJ’s 13th agreement under its Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative, relaunched in 2025 to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act’s ban on citizenship status discrimination.
For more details, visit Axios, Politico, and The Wall Street Journal.
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