AI firms expand counterintelligence hiring amid espionage concerns

Anthropic hired 33 counterintelligence staff in 2026, up from 14 in 2025 and nine in 2024, according to Revelio Labs data compiled by Reuters. OpenAI hired 22 such staff in 2026, against nine in 2025. Salaries for these roles at AI firms range from $200,000 to $500,000. The growth follows several security incidents: Nvidia's board opened an investigation into CEO Jensen Huang after he admitted a romantic relationship with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, though the board does not believe national security or company secrets were compromised. U.S. officials believe Megaspeed executive Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security; China denies espionage. The Justice Department says an OpenAI engineer was arrested for allegedly planting a listening device in a company conference room.