Artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI plans to nearly double its workforce to 8,000 from 4,500 by the end of 2026, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

OpenAI plans to deploy most of the new hires across product development, engineering, research and sales, the FT said.

The ChatGPT-maker is also ramping up recruitment of specialists focused on “technical ambassadorship,” aimed at helping businesses make better use of its tools, the report added.

The company’s latest funding round valued it at $840 billion, as Big Tech and Masayoshi Son’s Softbank joined its blockbuster $110 billion round.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly issued an internal “code red” in early December last year, pausing non-core projects and redirecting teams to accelerate development in response to Google’s Gemini 3.

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(Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Peter Graff)