If you've browsed AI job boards lately, you've probably noticed the same title over and over: Member of Technical Staff, or MTS. It sounds like corporate filler, but it's worth understanding, especially if you're eyeing a career in AI.
The title is spreading fast
According to a Stanford analysis reported by the New York Times, about 39% of Anthropic employees listed MTS as their LinkedIn title as of December 2025. The figures were 31% at OpenAI and 26% at xAI. Use of the title across those companies and Microsoft AI has grown roughly 50% in a year.
Why labs like it
The title is deliberately flat. Someone with a decade of experience, a former executive, and a recent hire can all carry it. Labs say it puts researchers and engineers on equal footing instead of giving PhD-holders a separate, higher tier. It's also a nod to Bell Labs, which used the title in its heyday and carries the prestige of that research tradition.
What it signals to candidates
McGill professor Elizabeth Eley, who studies unusual job titles, points out that a title this generic is itself a message: we're a team of builders, and hierarchy isn't the point. She also notes that vague titles act as a filter. People who already know and admire the company will recognize the code and apply, while others will scroll past.
Eley also suggests that dropping role-specific labels may help companies avoid terms like "forward deployed engineer," which carry military overtones at a time when AI firms face heavy public scrutiny. And a vague title reveals little about what the company is actually building.
What this means for you
- Read the description, not the title. An MTS posting can be anything from research to infrastructure to product engineering. The responsibilities and requirements tell you what the job really is.
- Don't assume seniority. The title says nothing about level, so check years of experience and compensation bands.
- Translate it on your resume. If you hold this title, add a line describing your actual focus, such as "MTS, inference optimization." Recruiters outside AI won't know what it covers.
- Expect imitation. As Eley predicts, other companies will adopt the title as a way to signal they belong in the same club. A fancy-sounding label doesn't mean the culture or work matches.
- Ask about growth. Without a title ladder, ask how promotions, scope, and pay progress.
Titles often matter less than the work itself. MTS is a status signal and a branding choice as much as a job description. Treat it as a hint about company culture, then dig into what the role really involves.