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OpenAI's New Jobs Platform Signals a Four-Front War for AI Dominance

OpenAI is taking on LinkedIn with a new AI-powered jobs platform, while also battling Google, Anthropic and others for AI supremacy.

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Yoshi Soornack & James Garner
September 09, 2025

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Hello Project AI enthusiasts,

Welcome to your weekly Flux Check-In. This week, the AI world has been rocked by OpenAI's audacious move into the recruitment space, directly challenging LinkedIn's long-held dominance. It’s a bold play, and just one of several major developments we’re tracking. From Anthropic's staggering new funding round to the quiet revolution happening in construction robotics, the pace of change is relentless. Let's get into it.

In This Edition

Flux check-in

OpenAI has fired a major shot across the bows of the recruitment industry, launching a new AI-powered jobs platform that directly challenges LinkedIn. The move is part of a broader, aggressive expansion that also sees the company restructuring its personality team after criticism of GPT-5 and rolling out new ChatGPT safeguards, including parental controls. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

For project-delivery professionals, OpenAI's move into recruitment could be a game-changer. An AI-native platform could streamline hiring, improve candidate matching, and automate many of the tedious tasks associated with talent acquisition. However, it also signals a future where AI plays a much larger role in our careers, from how we find work to how our performance is assessed. It's a trend we all need to be watching closely.

Key Themes

  • AI-powered recruitment and the future of work

  • The increasing competition in the AI landscape

  • The ethical and safety considerations of advanced AI

  • The impact of AI on professional development and careers

Down the Rabbit Hole

A recent EY survey reveals a fascinating paradox: while businesses are pouring money into agentic AI, many are struggling to move beyond the pilot stage. The report highlights a critical gap between investment and adoption, with many firms finding it difficult to scale their AI initiatives and achieve real-world impact. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

For project managers, this survey is a crucial reality check. It underscores the importance of a clear strategy, robust governance, and a focus on user adoption when implementing AI. The temptation is to chase the hype, but the real wins will come from a more measured, strategic approach that focuses on solving real business problems and delivering tangible value.

Key Themes

  • The challenges of scaling agentic AI

  • The importance of a strategic approach to AI adoption

  • The role of governance and user adoption in AI success

  • The gap between AI investment and real-world impact

Down the Rabbit Hole

Anthropic has raised a staggering $13 billion in a new funding round, nearly tripling its valuation to $183 billion in just six months. The company's Claude Code assistant is now generating $500 million in annual revenue, and they have expanded their enterprise customer base to over 300,000. This massive influx of cash raises questions about the sustainability of the current AI boom. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

This level of investment in AI is unprecedented, and it will have a major impact on the project delivery profession. We can expect to see a flood of new AI-powered tools and platforms, creating both opportunities and challenges. The key will be to separate the hype from the reality and focus on the solutions that can deliver real value to our projects and our clients.

Key Themes

  • The rapid growth of the AI industry

  • The potential for an AI investment bubble

  • The impact of AI on the project delivery profession

  • The importance of a critical approach to new AI technologies

Down the Rabbit Hole

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has confirmed 4,000 layoffs, stating bluntly, "I need less heads" with AI. This stark admission highlights the growing impact of AI on the workforce, as companies look to automate roles and improve efficiency. The move has sparked a heated debate about the future of work and the role of AI in our society. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

Benioff's comments are a wake-up call for every professional. The AI revolution is not some distant future; it's happening now. For project managers, this means we need to be thinking about how AI will impact our teams, our projects, and our own careers. It's no longer enough to be a great project manager; we also need to be AI-literate and ready to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

Key Themes

  • The impact of AI on the workforce and employment

  • The ethical considerations of AI-driven layoffs

  • The need for upskilling and reskilling in the age of AI

  • The changing role of project management in an AI-powered world

Down the Rabbit Hole

RIBA president Muyiwa Oki has called on architects to rise to the "daunting" challenge of AI, warning that the profession is at risk of being left behind. His comments come as the construction industry sees a massive surge in robotics investment, with companies like Bedrock Robotics and Field AI attracting huge funding rounds. Read the full breakdown →

What Does This Mean for Me?

Oki's warning to architects is relevant to all project-based professions. The rise of AI and robotics is transforming every industry, and we all need to be prepared. For project managers in construction and beyond, this means embracing new technologies, developing new skills, and adapting our project delivery methods to a world where AI and robotics are increasingly prevalent.

Key Themes

  • The impact of AI and robotics on the construction industry

  • The need for architects and other professionals to adapt to AI

  • The opportunities and challenges of AI in project delivery

  • The future of the architectural profession in the age of AI

Down the Rabbit Hole

The pulse check

Tips of the week

This week’s tip is all about mastering prompt engineering for Grok Code Fast. To get the most out of this powerful tool, it’s essential to craft precise and effective prompts. Start by clearly defining your coding task, then break it down into smaller, logical steps.

Use specific language, provide context, and include examples where possible. For instance, instead of asking it to “write a Python script,” try a more detailed prompt like, “Write a Python script that reads a CSV file named ‘data.csv’, calculates the average of the ‘sales’ column, and prints the result.” By investing a little extra time in your prompts, you’ll get much better results and significantly speed up your coding workflow. For a deeper dive, check out the official documentation and community resources.

Robotics

  • The robotics industry is booming, with a staggering $485 million raised in recent funding rounds. Read more

  • The construction industry is being transformed by robotics, with massive investments in companies like Bedrock Robotics and Field AI. Learn more

  • In a major breakthrough, AI is now allowing paralyzed patients to control robotic limbs with their thoughts. Discover how

Watch this incredible video of a Figure robot loading a dishwasher, a glimpse into the future of home robotics. Watch now

Governance & Security

The AI world has been rocked by a series of major security revelations this week. Researchers have exposed critical 0-click vulnerabilities in major AI agents, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Einstein, and Google Gemini.

The news has sent shockwaves through the industry and prompted the announcement of an AI Agent Security Summit to address these growing concerns. The vulnerabilities highlight the urgent need for more robust security protocols and a more proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks in AI systems.

As if that wasn’t enough, Elon Musk’s xAI has filed a lawsuit against a former engineer for alleged trade secret theft, a case that underscores the intense competition and high stakes in the race for AI dominance.

Meanwhile, in a landmark antitrust ruling, a US judge has ordered Google to share data with its rivals to increase competition in the online search market, a decision that could have far-reaching implications for the entire tech industry.

  • Amazon's AI Shopping Assistant: Amazon has launched an AI-powered shopping assistant to help you "cart smarter not harder" with intelligent product recommendations. Learn more

  • Alibaba's New AI Chip: Alibaba has unveiled a new AI inference chip, a significant step in China's efforts to reduce reliance on Nvidia hardware. Read more

  • ChatGPT Gets Projects Feature: Free-tier ChatGPT users can now group chats by topic, set custom instructions, and upload multiple files with the new Projects feature. Get started

Amazon Lens Live: Amazon's new AI-powered shopping tool, Lens Live, brings the power of AI to your real-world shopping experiences. Try it now

Other things we’re loving

Community

The Spotlight Podcast

In this episode of the Project Flux podcast, hosts engage with Shwetha Balaji and Shreya Datta from McGill and Partners to discuss the rapid advancements in AI technology, particularly focusing on agentic AI. 

The conversation explores the excitement surrounding AI, its applications in various industries, and the challenges faced in implementing AI solutions. The guests share insights on building trust within teams, the importance of communication, and the evolving nature of job roles in the face of AI integration. They emphasise the need for adaptability and the significance of human skills in navigating the future of work.ts" approach allows creativity to thrive within manufacturing constraints.

One more thing

That’s it for today!

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See you soon,

James, Yoshi and Aaron—Project Flux 

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