OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic turn to India to hire top AI talent

The three leading AI companies will initially hire for sales, business development, and partnership roles. Later, they will hire for product and engineering jobs

Artificial intelligence (AI) giants, including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic, are increasingly looking to India for top tech talent. According to The Economic Times, these leading AI firms are seeking engineers, researchers, product specialists, and sales professionals to lead their local operations.

First hires from startups, GCCs

Some of their first hires in India are expected to come from tech startups and global capability centres (GCCs).

 

Most of the new AI jobs will be in top tech cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi-NCR, a recruiter told The Economic Times. Two AI startup founders in India said they are also looking for talent from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other leading product companies.

OpenAI, Anthropic hiring plans

The three AI companies will initially hire for sales, business development, and partnership roles. Later, they will hire for product and engineering jobs, including core AI engineering, support, and service roles.

 

Some of the initial roles include:

• OpenAI: Senior sales and client-facing positions; technical and research roles will follow
• Perplexity: Business development, partnerships, and eventually engineering
• Anthropic: Country head and sales staff, later adding an applied AI and technical team

AI talent in India

Most AI workers in India are currently in service roles, and there are very few advanced AI engineers in the country. Many top AI experts work outside India, so the country’s presence in this specialised field remains limited.

 

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, told The Economic Times that the senior tech talent pool is shallow, the skills required are new, and AI companies will need to hire experienced professionals from elsewhere. She added that outside companies like Nvidia, which recruit top graduates from leading schools, most firms will have to train and build their own AI talent.

Expanding AI operations in India

The AI giants are expanding their presence in India, with OpenAI and Anthropic announcing offices in the country. OpenAI plans to open its first office in New Delhi by the end of 2025, while Anthropic is working towards opening its first office in Bengaluru in early 2026.