OpenAI adopts 'Member of Technical Staff' title to prevent internal divisions

OpenAI president Greg Brockman revealed on X that the company has officially adopted the 'Member of Technical Staff' (MTS) title, a move recommended by computing legend Alan Kay based on his experience at Xerox PARC. The title has deep roots in tech history, originally used at Bell Labs to designate researchers and engineers without hierarchical labels. Brockman explained that the decision was driven by a desire to prevent an artificial divide between researchers and engineers, fostering a culture where all technical contributors are valued equally.

This approach is gaining traction across the AI industry. Anthropic, xAI, Thinky, and many AI startups have already adopted MTS, and Databricks AI recently joined the trend. Proponents argue MTS filters out 'title-maxxers' who chase staff or principal designations and protects teams from corporate ladder mentalities. The impact is tangible—Alec Radford, who created the GPT model at OpenAI, held an MTS title, proving that even junior members can drive transformative results. The shift represents a broader move away from traditional big-tech leveling systems (L4–L7) toward a meritocracy of technical contribution.