AI companies are banking on the 'member of technical staff' job title

The job title "member of technical staff" (MTS) is spreading across AI companies: in December 2025, 39% of Anthropic employees used it on LinkedIn, along with 31% at OpenAI and 26% at xAI. Use of the title rose 50% over the past year across OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and Microsoft AI.

• 39% of Anthropic employees listed MTS on LinkedIn in December 2025
• 31% at OpenAI and 26% at xAI use the title
• MTS use grew 50% over the year across four AI companies
• The title collapses the researcher-engineer divide, echoing Bell Labs