Netflix is the latest to push for generative AI in games with an eyebrow-raising $840K job posting
As the video game industry battles with widespread layoffs, Netflix has posted a strange job opening for a Director of Generative AI for Games, offering a salary range of $430,000 to $840,000 annually, along with a beefy benefits package.
The position, based in Los Angeles, requiring on-site work, seeks a candidate with at least 10 years of experience in the industry, along with a deep understanding of the full game development lifecycle from concept to live operations.
According to the listing, the role involves defining and leading a generative AI strategy across Netflix Games, shaping the foundational structure, and collaborating with game studios, technology teams, and leadership to create new titles.
This development comes less than a year after Netflix laid off an unreported number of employees from its Oxenfree developer Night School Studio in February 2025. Night School Studio was acquired by Netflix in 2021.
The job posting states:
We’re seeking a visionary and pragmatic Head of Gen AI to lead the strategy and application of Gen AI across our games organization. This role sits at the intersection of technology, product, and creativity, driving how we leverage cutting-edge AI to create meaningful, novel, and scalable experiences for players.
You’ll serve as a key partner to our game studios, technology and platforms teams, and leadership. Your mandate is to incorporate in-game features into entirely new forms of play, anchored in both what’s technically feasible and what’s compelling for players.
This job posting has triggered widespread outrage among industry members, with some claiming the post will pay the director “nearly half a million dollars to click generate on the plagiarism machine, while entry-level positions have disappeared, and they want to hire art directors on contract for $30 an hour.”
Others have ridiculed the job posting, stating, “Netflix wants to pay someone half a million dollars a year to be ‘director of genAI for games’. Your first Unity tutorial project makes you overqualified.”
Netflix is continuing to bet heavily on AI, as the company announced plans to introduce AI-generated interactive advertising in 2026. In July, co-CEO Ted Sarandos praised the use of generative AI in the show The Eternaut and stated, “We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper.”
