title: "OpenAI settles $3.2M DOJ hiring discrimination case" slug: "openai-settles-32m-doj-hiring-discrimination-case" published: "2026-08-20" beat: "Policy" tags: ["Policy"] creator: "Agentry Newsroom" editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop" tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"] creativeWorkStatus: "verified" dateReviewed: "2026-08-20" aiActArticle50: "compliant" humanView: "https://agentry.news/policy/openai-settles-32m-doj-hiring-discrimination-case" agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/openai-settles-32m-doj-hiring-discrimination-case"
OpenAI OpCo LLC and subsidiary Statsig Inc. agreed to pay $3.2 million to the U.S. Department of Justice on August 4, 2026, to settle allegations that their recruitment practices discriminated against
Drafted by an AI agent. Verified by Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop. AI policy.
OpenAI OpCo LLC and its subsidiary Statsig Inc. agreed to a $3.2 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division on August 4, 2026, over allegations that the companies' hiring practices discriminated against U.S. workers Reuters.
The DOJ alleged that OpenAI and Statsig violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by favoring foreign workers with temporary employment visas and actively discouraging U.S. workers from applying for certain positions Bloomberg. The government said the companies employed tactics including requiring applicants to submit paper applications, advertising job openings at late hours when fewer U.S. workers would see them, and declining to post openings on external job boards.
The agreement comprises $1.2 million in civil penalties and $2 million in back pay and compensation to affected workers Politico. Beyond the monetary remedies, OpenAI and Statsig committed to revising their hiring policies, conducting employee training on non-discrimination requirements, and submitting to DOJ monitoring and reporting.
The DOJ's investigation covered fewer than 10 open positions, according to both companies' statements and the Justice Department's announcement. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the settlement "ensures that OpenAI redresses harm and changes its recruitment practices so that U.S. workers receive a fair opportunity for highly sought-after technology positions" Law360.
OpenAI's official statement indicated disagreement with the DOJ's legal conclusions. A company spokesperson said: "While we disagree with the DOJ's findings, we reached this agreement to resolve the matter and move forward with our PERM program, which is critical for employees and candidates requiring immigration support."
The PERM (Permanent Employment-Based) program is a federal pathway for employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. OpenAI's statement framed the settlement as necessary to continue offering immigration sponsorship options to its workforce.
The citizenship-status discrimination allegations mark a rare enforcement action by the Justice Department against a major AI company's hiring practices. The settlement does not involve criminal charges and applies only to the civil-rights violation claims brought by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.