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OpenAI’s Secret ‘Project Mercury’ Enlists 100+ Ex-Bankers to Train AI for Wall Street Modeling

OpenAI says third‑party vendors recruit domain experts to produce standardized Excel models that teach its systems to handle junior banking work.

Overview

  • Reports based on documents seen by Bloomberg and insider accounts say contractors are paid about $150 per hour and receive early access to the developing system.
  • Tasks include writing prompts and building models for IPOs and restructurings, with one Excel model typically submitted each week under strict formatting rules.
  • Applicants reportedly face an AI-led intake that includes a roughly 20‑minute chatbot interview, a financial‑statement knowledge test, and a practical modeling exercise.
  • Participants include former staff from JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Brookfield, Mubadala, Evercore, and KKR, along with some Harvard and MIT MBA students.
  • The effort targets repetitive analyst work in Excel, reflecting a broader push to apply OpenAI’s technology to finance, consulting, law, and tech.