Are résumés dead?

LinkedIn has had a good run. It’s basically Facebook with fewer memes, more résumés, and endless humblebrags about “thriving in Q3.” But now OpenAI is stepping straight into LinkedIn’s backyard with a shiny new job platform. And it’s not just another résumé graveyard.

They want to train you, certify you, and then shove you directly into the inbox of employers looking for your skills. LinkedIn lets your uncle endorse you for “Microsoft Word.” OpenAI’s platform will actually test you, teach you, and certify you, like the difference between saying you can cook and Gordon Ramsay actually tasting your food without throwing it in the trash.

The timing is brutal. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, which also poured $13 billion into OpenAI. Translation: Microsoft is basically paying for both fighters in a heavyweight match, then realizing one of them just knocked the other out. Awkward. And LinkedIn Learning? Yeah, OpenAI’s “Academy” is coming for that too.

Imagine you’ve been paying for online classes while OpenAI shows up with an AI tutor that never sleeps, quizzes you like a strict teacher, and hands you a certificate employers actually want. That’s the kind of glow-up LinkedIn can’t post about without sweating through its blue logo.

If you’re a CEO or Founder, this could change your entire hiring pipeline. Instead of wasting months sifting through résumés, you’ll get a batch of AI-certified, ready-to-go employees. Your question: Do I still need recruiters, or does OpenAI just do the hiring for me?

If you’re a VP or C-Level exec, expect pressure. Boards will ask: Why are we paying for LinkedIn ads and recruiters when OpenAI hands us people on a platter? Also, what’s your plan to upskill your current workforce before your competitors raid OpenAI’s talent pool?

If you’re a Manager, congrats, your interview process just got easier. Instead of guessing whether “proficient in Excel” means actual pivot tables or just “can open the app,” you’ll get workers who’ve already passed OpenAI’s tests. But here’s your new headache: If AI is training and certifying my employees, what’s left for me to teach them?

If you’re an Individual Contributor, this is your cheat code. No Ivy League degree? No problem. You could take OpenAI’s courses, get certified, and land jobs that pay more just because you speak “AI.” But you should ask: Do I want to start now and get ahead or wait until everyone else floods in and the advantage disappears?

And if you’re the Everyday American, even outside tech, this matters. AI skills aren’t staying in Silicon Valley; they’re creeping into retail, healthcare, logistics, you name it. OpenAI is betting that “AI literacy” will become as common as knowing how to send an email. The big question for you: Do I want to ride this wave, or risk being replaced by someone who did?

OpenAI is trying to own the entire career pipeline from teaching you the skills, to proving you’ve got them, to plugging you into a job. LinkedIn looks like the career fair with free pens; OpenAI is building the express train that drops you at the office door. If it works, the way we learn, hire, and even think about opportunity could change forever. The only suspense left is whether LinkedIn evolves or becomes the Blockbuster of professional networking.

Microsoft owns LinkedIn but also bankrolls OpenAI. Now their two ‘children’ are in direct competition. LinkedIn has had a good run. It’s basically Facebook with fewer memes, more résumés, and endless humblebrags about “thriving in Q3.”

But now OpenAI, the company that made ChatGPT, is stepping straight into LinkedIn’s backyard with a shiny new jobs platform. And it’s not just another résumé graveyard. They want to train you, certify you, and then shove you directly into the inbox of employers looking for your skills.

LinkedIn lets your uncle endorse you for “Microsoft Word.” OpenAI’s platform will actually test you, teach you, and certify you, like the difference between saying you can cook and Gordon Ramsay actually tasting your food without throwing it in the trash.

The timing is brutal. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, which also poured $13 billion into OpenAI. Translation: Microsoft is basically paying for both fighters in a heavyweight match, then realizing one of them just knocked the other out. Awkward. And LinkedIn Learning? Yeah, OpenAI’s “Academy” is coming for that too.

Imagine you’ve been paying for online classes while OpenAI shows up with an AI tutor that never sleeps, quizzes you like a strict teacher, and hands you a certificate employers actually want. That’s the kind of glow-up LinkedIn can’t post about without sweating through its blue logo.

If you’re a CEO or Founder, this could change your entire hiring pipeline. Instead of wasting months sifting through résumés, you’ll get a batch of AI-certified, ready-to-go employees. Your question: Do I still need recruiters, or does OpenAI just do the hiring for me?

If you’re a Manager, congrats, your interview process just got easier. Instead of guessing whether “proficient in Excel” means actual pivot tables or just “can open the app,” you’ll get workers who’ve already passed OpenAI’s tests. But here’s your new headache: If AI is training and certifying my employees, what’s left for me to teach them?

If you’re an Individual Contributor, this is your cheat code. No Ivy League degree? No problem. You could take OpenAI’s courses, get certified, and land jobs that pay more just because you speak “AI.” But you should ask: Do I want to start now and get ahead or wait until everyone else floods in and the advantage disappears?

And if you’re the Everyday American, even outside tech, this matters. AI skills aren’t staying in Silicon Valley; they’re creeping into retail, healthcare, logistics, you name it. OpenAI is betting that “AI literacy” will become as common as knowing how to send an email. The big question for you: Do I want to ride this wave, or risk being replaced by someone who did?

OpenAI is trying to own the entire career pipeline from teaching you the skills, to proving you’ve got them, to plugging you into a job. LinkedIn looks like the career fair with free pens; OpenAI is building the express train that drops you at the office door.

If it works, the way we learn, hire, and even think about opportunity could change forever. The only suspense left is whether LinkedIn evolves or becomes the Blockbuster of professional networking.

Microsoft owns LinkedIn but also bankrolls OpenAI. Now their two ‘children’ are in direct competition. If you were Satya Nadella, which kid do you back the popular one (LinkedIn) or the genius troublemaker (OpenAI)?

- Matt Masinga