If you believed AI startups and the world’s greatest AI-forward tech companies are just hiring engineers, data scientists, and developers, you’re clearly missing out.
Behind tech powerhouses and AI house names like OpenAI, Anthropic, and other smaller AI startups from Silicon Valley to Europe, there are three skills that repeatedly show up on these companies’ career pages and are evidently in strong demand.
Without these skills, AI innovation and the exposure we’re seeing with mass adoption of artificial intelligence tools within the workplace simply wouldn’t be happening, and OpenAI wouldn’t be the number one fastest-growing enterprise software platform right now.
By the end of this article, you’ll discover the three roles and skills that power the world’s greatest, most innovative companies. You’ll learn what these skills are, their related jobs, how much these AI startups and companies are paying (we’re talking $200,000+ pay packages), and what certifications you can take to learn these skills for 2026:
1. Product Marketing Skills
Behind every successful product launch is a talented product marketing manager.
There’s no use having a breakthrough innovative AI technology or tool, and yet no one knows about it. Lack of exposure translates to lack of adoption. That’s why aggressive marketing and a robust GTM strategy are needed for successful AI product launches.
Therefore, companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are hiring for product marketing managers and other related product marketing roles to help them create GTM (go-to-market) campaigns, coordinate with engineering, sales, and product design teams, and define their positioning in the market and user messaging.
Certification to learn this skill: Cornell University’s “eCornell” Product
Marketing Certificate Program (eCornell is Cornell University’s online arm)
Product Marketing Jobs Hiring Now:
There are currently 10 product marketing-related roles advertized on Anthropic’s website at the time of writing, including:
- Product marketing manager, Claude Code. Annual Salary: $200,000 – $255,000
- Customer marketing manager. Annual Salary: $255,000
At OpenAI, they’re offering an even higher, eye-watering salary for a product marketing manager:
- Product marketing manager, ChatGPT Consumer. Annual Salary: $245,000 – $315,000+ Offers Equity
2. Content Writing Skills
Next in line are content writing skills. Content marketing is one of the most heavily-invested marketing strategies of the decade, with 85% of companies increasing spending, because more consumers are turning online for information and advice. And this is especially the case on social media.
There are endless opportunities for AI start-ups and other tech companies to rank highly on Google and in AI search browsers and engines, through building thought leadership, creating explainers, and documenting their innovations and development through a user-friendly blog.
Certification to learn this skill: Content Marketing Certification Course by HubSpot
Content Writing Jobs Hiring Now:
- Editorial, AI for Science at Anthropic. Annual Salary: $200,000 – $255,000
- Editorial, Economics & Policy Lead at Anthropic. Annual Salary: $255,000 – $320,000
3. BDM/Sales Skills
What do account executives, account directors, and BDMs (business development managers) share in common? Sales. AI start-ups need professionals with relationship and account management/nurturing skills, who can bring their products to market and encourage adoption from enterprise customers. Perhaps that’s why, at the time of writing, OpenAI has 12 sales-related roles live on their careers page, while Anthropic has more than 60 such job openings.
In fact, Jobright analysts revealed a few months ago that enterprise sales roles are in the top two most in-demand jobs at artificial intelligence start-ups, topped only by machine learning roles.
Certification to learn this skill: Salesforce Sales Operations Professional Certificate, via Coursera
BDM/Sales Jobs Hiring Now:
- Account director, large enterprise at OpenAI (salary not revealed)
- Business development representative at Anthropic. Annual Salary: $116,480 – $131,040
To land these AI jobs, focus on building your skillset, tailoring your resume ensuring it speaks loudly to outcome-driven metrics (i.e. product launches, customer acquisition, lifecycle conversions, etc.). And don’t forget to showcase how you think outside the box and are an innovative problem-solver. And if you’ve collaborated cross-functionally with start-ups or fast-paced tech teams in the past, don’t be shy about sharing it.
Overall, what these three AI skill trends tell us is that, yes, AI start-ups need more engineers. But they also need more evangelists–professionals who can translate technology intro traction and high adoption rates.