OpenAI to pay $3.2M to settle DOJ discrimination case — SkimNews
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- OpenAI agreed Tuesday to pay $3.2 million to settle DOJ allegations that it discriminated against U.S. workers by preferring temporary visa holders for jobs.
- The Justice Department alleged OpenAI OpCo LLC and its subsidiary Statsig Inc. did not post jobs on a public website before filling them through the PERM labor certification process, and discouraged U.S. applicants with mailed applications and late-night radio ads.
- The settlement breaks down to $1.2 million in civil penalties plus $2 million set aside for eligible workers, with fewer than 10 positions at issue.
- OpenAI must post jobs on its career sites, accept electronic applications, train relevant staff, and submit to DOJ monitoring and reporting as conditions of the agreement.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said it is illegal to discriminate against U.S. workers by preferring temporary visa holders, adding that the deal "ensures OpenAI redresses harm and changes its recruitment practices."
- OpenAI disagreed with the DOJ's findings but said it agreed to the settlement to "resolve the matter and move forward" with its PERM program, which it called critical for employees needing immigration support.
- The DOJ called this its 13th settlement since relaunching its Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative in 2025 to enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act's ban on citizenship status discrimination.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is using a $3.2 million penalty against one of the world's most prominent AI companies to put the tech sector on notice that visa-system gaming will be prosecuted — and with 13 settlements already logged under the relaunched Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative since 2025, the DOJ is building a sustained enforcement track record, not a one-off warning shot.
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