The Justice Department has settled with OpenAI for $3.2 million over allegations that the company's hiring discriminated against U.S. workers in favor of visa-holders [1]. OpenAI agreed to the payment while denying that it broke the law [1].
The money divides in two. The settlement is a $1.2 million civil penalty paid to the United States and $2 million in back pay to affected workers, which together account for the full $3.2 million [1].
The conduct at issue centered on roles tied to the PERM process, the labor-certification step employers use when they sponsor foreign workers for permanent residence. The department alleged that OpenAI handled certain of those positions in ways that favored visa-holders over qualified U.S. applicants [1].
OpenAI did not concede liability. A settlement of this kind resolves the government's claims without a court finding that the company discriminated [1]. Companies frequently settle labor-certification disputes to avoid the cost and exposure of litigation, and the agreement is not a judicial verdict.
For the workers covered by the case, the practical result is $2 million in back pay. For OpenAI, the cost is $3.2 million and a federal settlement on its record at a moment when its hiring is under wider scrutiny. The narrower question the settlement leaves open is how many applicants were affected, a figure the available reporting did not give [1].
