OpenAI has hired Tejas Sharma, formerly head of data risk engineering at Citadel in London, as a member of technical staff, as talent migration from hedge funds and quantitative trading firms into AI labs extends beyond junior hires, according to a report by eFinancial Craeers.
At OpenAI, Sharma, who Sharma joined Citadel in 2021 and led its London-based risk data engineering function for just under three years, will focus on agentic infrastructure development.
Prior to Citadel, Sharma held senior engineering roles across several major technology and data firms, including a five-year tenure at Meta working on Instagram’s machine learning systems, and six years at FactSet, where he ultimately managed core infrastructure services.
His move reflects a broader pattern of senior engineers from quantitative finance transitioning into AI research and infrastructure roles. Other former Citadel technologists have also moved into major AI and big tech organisations, including roles at Google DeepMind and within OpenAI’s own engineering teams.
The trend highlights how AI laboratories are becoming competitive destinations for hedge fund engineering talent, including professionals on notice periods or non-compete restrictions, although access to roles can vary depending on contractual and competitive constraints.
OpenAI has been rapidly scaling its London presence. While official filings indicated around 55 employees in the UK at the end of 2024, professional networking data suggests the local team has expanded to more than 200 staff, including over 40 technical staff members.
The company is also actively recruiting, with dozens of additional engineering and research roles currently advertised in London, underscoring growing competition between AI labs and hedge funds for highly specialised technical talent.
