OpenAI·Data Scientist

OpenAI Data Scientist interview experience

No offer

Hard

Positive

New York, NYPosted Aug 2025 · Candidate report, summarized by Dataford

I interviewed for an OpenAI Data Scientist role that leaned heavily on algorithms, clean reasoning, and AI/ML model understanding, and it felt hard.

Algorithm/data structures round — I expected LeetCode-style problems emphasizing optimal solutions and clear, maintainable code.
Systems-in-AI/ML round — I was also asked to reason about building robust, scalable systems in AI/ML contexts.
Model understanding round — I discussed deep knowledge of models such as transformers and diffusion-style architectures. Outcome: No offer; the takeaway was that they look for both strong fundamentals and practical ML-model literacy.

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