Counsel, Commercial

OpenAI, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

San Francisco

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• Serve as the legal partner for OpenAI’s business transactions, partnerships, and operations, providing end-to-end legal support for commercial activities.
• Negotiate and draft complex commercial contracts including partnership agreements, vendor contracts, procurement agreements, and technology licensing arrangements.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to cross-functional teams including GTM, Sales, Partnerships, Finance, Procurement, Product, Infrastructure, and Engineering.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate commercial, regulatory, privacy, and compliance risks arising from AI-related business activities and technology deployments.
• Develop scalable legal frameworks and processes to support rapid business growth while maintaining responsible and ethical standards.
• Monitor evolving regulatory landscapes affecting artificial intelligence, technology, and data use, and advise leadership on compliance obligations.
• Collaborate with OpenAI’s global legal team to ensure alignment on legal strategies, contract standards, and jurisdictional requirements across international markets.
• Act as a trusted advisor to non-legal stakeholders, translating complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance tailored to business objectives.
• Proactively anticipate legal challenges in fast-moving commercial environments and propose innovative solutions that enable responsible innovation.
• Maintain strong cross-functional relationships by adapting communication styles to diverse audiences, from engineers to executives.
• Demonstrate sound judgment in ambiguous or high-pressure situations involving emerging AI technologies and untested legal boundaries.
• Contribute to the creation of internal playbooks, templates, and training materials to standardize commercial legal practices across the organization.
• Ensure all commercial agreements align with OpenAI’s mission of ensuring general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.
• Work in a hybrid model requiring three days per week in the San Francisco office, with remaining days remote.
• Engage with internal teams to resolve legal issues in real-time, supporting time-sensitive deals and operational needs.
• Stay current on industry trends in AI law, intellectual property, data privacy, and technology regulation to inform strategic legal planning.
• Balance legal rigor with business agility, enabling growth without compromising safety, ethics, or compliance.

🎯 Requirements

• 7+ years of experience across in-house and technology-focused law firm roles
• Strong background in drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts
• Experience advising on AI, technology, privacy, or regulatory matters
• Proven ability to operate independently in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to tailor advice to non-legal stakeholders
• Demonstrated sound judgment in ambiguous or rapidly changing legal landscapes

🏖️ Benefits

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge legal challenges at the forefront of AI innovation
• Collaborative environment with a global legal team across diverse legal disciplines
• Hybrid work model with three days per week in the San Francisco office
• Role focused on enabling responsible growth and ethical deployment of AI technologies

Skills & Technologies

Hybrid

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OpenAI, Inc.

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About OpenAI, Inc.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research and deployment company founded in 2015. It develops large-scale AI models such as GPT, DALL-E, and Codex, providing cloud APIs and consumer applications like ChatGPT. Originally established as a non-profit, it later created a capped-profit subsidiary to attract capital while maintaining its mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.

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