Business 2 min read By Alice Ashford
Reilly Opelka Joins $48 Billion AI Startup During Surgery Recovery
American tennis player Reilly Opelka, sidelined by surgery, has taken a job at an artificial intelligence company valued at approximately $48 billion.
Professional tennis player Reilly Opelka, who has been kept off the court by surgery, has taken a job at an artificial intelligence startup. The company is valued at approximately $48 billion. According to available reports, colleagues welcomed him onto the staff immediately, which suggests his arrival at the company was treated as an event rather than a formality.
The role Opelka will perform is described as atypical and not connected with technical tasks. This means his functions most likely lie outside programming and model development, although the exact title and scope of responsibilities are not specified in the available materials. The name of the startup is also not given; it is only known that the company works in the field of AI and has a valuation of around $48 billion. Such a valuation places the company among the most valuable private technology structures, which gives the hire additional significance in the eyes of the industry.
Opelka is known as a player with considerable height and a powerful serve, but the surgery has kept him out of competition for an extended period. The length of the injury and the timeline for his return to the court are not detailed in the materials. It is also not reported whether the athlete intends to continue professional competition alongside his new job. The absence of these details leaves the main question open: will the new employment become his primary or secondary occupation?
The athlete's move into the technology business during his recovery from surgery shows how sports figures increasingly seek employment beyond the court. For rapidly growing AI companies, such appointments can be a way to attract well-known names and broaden their pool of talent beyond the traditional technical environment. For Opelka himself, working at a company with this valuation may mean access to a new career path that does not depend on his health on the court.
Source: inc.com
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