(Reuters) – Artificial intelligence leader OpenAI is opening an office in Dublin, the Microsoft-backed company announced Thursday.
It is the company’s third office. Its headquarters are in San Francisco and it announced it was opening a London office in June.
The Dublin office is starting small with three open jobs: international payroll specialist, a business role, and an Ireland policy and partnerships lead, though OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon said the company intends to open more roles in the near future.
The Dublin office will not be the company’s European headquarters and there will not be an executive running the office, at least not yet, Kwon said.
“We like to grow deliberately and not too rapidly because we want to make sure that the culture of the company is established first in new offices before we scale up,” Kwon told Reuters.
In opening a Dublin office, OpenAI is following a well-established American tech company strategy. In addition to access to a talent pool already familiar with the culture of companies like Meta and Google, Ireland is a good place to engage with Europe from a regulatory and business development standpoint, Kwon said.
Tax implications did not play a role in the decision, as OpenAI is not profitable, Kwon said.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the second fastest-growing app in history, after Meta’s Threads app. It has created both excitement and alarm, bringing OpenAI into conflict with regulators, particularly in Europe, where the company’s mass data-collecting has drawn criticism from privacy watchdogs.
(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Artificial intelligence leader OpenAI announced on Thursday that it will be opening an office in Dublin. This move comes after the company’s previous establishment of offices in San Francisco and London earlier this year. Although the Dublin office will initially have a small team comprising of an international payroll specialist, a business role, and an Ireland policy and partnerships lead, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon revealed that the company plans to expand its workforce in the near future.
Contrary to speculations, the Dublin office will not serve as OpenAI’s European headquarters, and there will be no executive in charge of the office, at least for now. Kwon explained that OpenAI prefers a deliberate and gradual growth strategy to ensure the establishment of the company’s culture in new locations before ramping up operations.
OpenAI’s decision to open an office in Dublin aligns with the typical approach of many American tech companies. In addition to gaining access to a talent pool already well-versed in the culture of companies like Meta and Google, Ireland offers strategic advantages for engaging with Europe from both regulatory and business development perspectives, Kwon stated. Notably, tax implications did not influence OpenAI’s decision-making process, as the company is currently not profitable.
OpenAI has gained significant attention with its ChatGPT app, which is the second fastest-growing app in history, trailing only Meta’s Threads app. However, this accomplishment has also sparked concerns and controversies, particularly among European regulators. OpenAI’s extensive data collection practices have drawn criticism from privacy watchdogs in Europe.
In summary, OpenAI’s expansion into Dublin demonstrates its commitment to continuous growth and international presence. The company’s deliberate approach aims to establish a strong foundation before scaling up operations. With its innovative technologies, OpenAI has solidified its position as a front-runner in the field of artificial intelligence.
(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
