Apparently, “storytellers” are a hot (and well-paid) commodity in the tech industry right now.
Six-figure salaries abound for storytelling-centered communications roles across major brands like OpenAI, Netflix, Apple and Google. Here’s one listing offering $387K–$430K for a Head of Business Communications at OpenAI that says things like:
- “Drive the story of how OpenAI helps businesses.”
- “In this role you will shape the story for how AI transforms work.”
- “Create industry-specific programs and storytelling that highlight how our tools create value for people and organizations.”
What follows is a smattering of information I could find out about the current state of AI in the workplace, professional writing and storytelling and what it all means for the future of content automation.
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Who Says Storytelling Is Hot?
I came across an article published on Business Insider at the beginning of February 2026 titled “The hottest job in tech: Writing words” that hooked me immediately and inspired this blog post. Being a writer who sometimes uses AI for certain tasks, I just had to know more; dig deeper and do my own research.
My initial reaction, before looking deeper, was: Could underdeveloped or overzealous, without-a-plan AI strategies — that don’t do a good enough job at keeping humans at the core — be beginning to show their flaws? Are overly ambitious leaders finally realizing that a large swath of the internet’s unchanging advice to keep humans at the center of it all is the only way to do AI, if you’re going to do it?
The whole of this thing seems like the market may have finally bitten back and signaled that unique and resonant human stories are what ultimately drive customers to care about a brand, its products or services, not generic messaging that blends into the rest.
Here’s what I found out.
Are Recruiters Really Calling for Storytellers? What Everyone Is Saying About Recent Job Listings
Nearly everything I’ve read related to this topic cites a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article from late 2025 titled “Companies Are Desperately Seeking ‘Storytellers’”. Within, they cite what appears to be insider LinkedIn knowledge: that the percentage of LinkedIn job postings that mention “storyteller” doubled by year-end 2025.
Tracking down that original LinkedIn source, despite my and even ChatGPT’s best efforts, was futile. But let’s assume that WSJ’s strong reputation for financial and business reporting holds up. They have 39 Pulitzer Prizes to show for it, after all. Perhaps they spoke to someone at LinkedIn directly.
In addition to the apparent doubling of job postings that mention “storyteller,” the WSJ also referenced its FactSet tool to learn that executives mentioned the term on earnings calls about 30% more often throughout 2025 compared to the year prior, and 219% more often than in 2015 — about seven years before generative AI went mainstream.
Without a concrete figure to cite that shows me storytelling is actually a recurrent — and growing — skill in job postings, all I really have to go on are my own explorations. So, I did some manual searching across popular job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor) for the terms “storyteller” and “storytelling.” I found a substantial amount of results on each website, with roles across industries and regions that mention one or both terms in the listing or even in the title. Again, while an actual figure alludes, those words seem to be quite common.
For curiosity’s sake, I also referenced the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational outlook dashboard for writers and authors. While not all-encompassing when it comes to storytelling (many people who aren’t writers are capable of incredible storytelling. Heck, some writers even lack compelling capabilities in this regard), I think it hits decently close. According to the BLS, writer and author roles are expected to grow 4% over the next 10 years, which is about as fast as average. In contrast, editors — those who might be helping writers refine their stories — are projected to grow just 1% over the same time period. Much slower than average.
Of course, actual job growth for these roles and the number of times recruiters mention “storytelling” or a version thereof in a job listing don’t entirely correlate, but it’s interesting to know nonetheless. If anything, the on-pace-with-average growth for writing roles and the apparent doubling of storytelling mentions across job listings signal that it’s becoming a buzzword more than anything.
Whichever is true: whether it’s buzzy/trendy to mention or a growing, in-demand skill is a bit besides the point. Storytelling in a brand context — a brand story — has been an important thing for business since the dawn of Capitalism.
Enough speculation, though. Here’s what we know for certain: Some of the world’s largest organizations are indeed offering top dollar to folks who can tell great stories. So let’s explore why.
Why Is Storytelling So Hot Right Now?
For many, storytelling making a “comeback” (I don’t believe it ever went away), was the only option after the AI content boom. But here are a few other reasons to consider:
AI Has Made Words “Cheap” but Meaning Scarce
AI can generate text endlessly. What it cannot reliably do is decide:
- Which story you should tell.
- What not to say.
- How today’s message will age six months from now.
- How different audiences will interpret the same narrative.
As a result, people who can shape meaning rather than just write a few simple words about a brand sit at the top of the value chain.
When I did my searches for “storytelling” on everyday job boards, I saw a pretty wide salary range for an equally wide range of roles, but nothing as high as what’s on offer at some of these tech companies. I think that’s because the highest-paying storytelling roles — which are in the news because they’re grandiose — aren’t just “writers” in a traditional sense, but folks with a combination of skills across communications, marketing, PR, product and maybe even policy.
I think that’s ultimately why storytelling language shows up in earnings calls, for example. At that level, it’s less “Here’s the strategy — now go write about it,” and more “Help us define the story so we know what the strategy actually is”.
Complex Products Require Narrative, Not Explanation
As products, services and organizations become more complex, communication work shifts from describing what something is to explaining why it matters — and it’s not exclusive to writers:
- Product marketing teams translate technical capabilities into customer value.
- UX writers help users understand abstract systems through microcopy.
- Customer success managers reframe features into outcomes.
- Sales teams tailor narratives to different industries and stakeholders.
- Internal communicators help employees make sense of things.
Feature lists don’t work in these cases and many others. Instead, brands need people who can provide compelling context, framing and use cases that tell stories customers care about and want to be a part of.
Storytelling Never Went Away (But It Was Made a Bit Quieter)
The main reason I believe storytelling language is booming is that originality kind of went away for a little while, or was at least minimized or made quieter as GenAI turned content volume way up.
Brands that may have leaned too heavily on AI at the start are perhaps beginning to realize that you cannot meaningfully automate storytelling, because algorithms lack the lived experience required to tell an exceptional story. To make up for lost time and maybe even revenue as a result, leaders are pushing hard to hire people who know how to shape narratives, resulting in tons of job listings that emphasize such.
Final Thoughts
At least in the industry I’m in, storytelling has been an integral skill for various roles for a long time. I think much of this discourse about storytelling, and the increased mentions on job listings, comes down to brands beginning to re-prioritize folks who can help get customers excited about their products more than any generated word strings could — tried as they might have. Stories people care about come from other people who can understand their nature. I say leave the tedium to AI, and get storytellers back at the table.
