Key Takeaways
In accordance with federal filings, OpenAI pays a hefty price ticket for its expert employees.
Analysis scientists on the AI firm command salaries from $245,000 to $685,000.
The pay information reveals that OpenAI workers are among the many best-compensated employees in Silicon Valley.
Federal filings reveal that OpenAI pays prime greenback for expertise. The AI big compensates analysis scientists on its technical employees by over half one million {dollars} in base wage, not together with inventory awards or bonuses.
The ChatGPT-maker doesn’t publicly disclose wage information, however it’s required to submit federal filings with wage figures when hiring international employees. The ensuing information, considered by Enterprise Insider, exhibits that OpenAI pays engineering roles within the mid-six figures, whereas analysis scientists command salaries from $245,000 to $685,000.
The federal filings consequence from OpenAI hiring workers on H-1B visas, or visas for international employees with specialised expertise. In September, the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 price for each new H-1B visa software filed within the U.S.
Regardless of this new price, BI reported that OpenAI onboarded over 60 new H-1B employees from October to December 2025. Final 12 months, as an entire, the AI firm filed over 160 new H-1B functions, per BI.
The pay information reveals that OpenAI workers are among the many best-compensated employees in Silicon Valley — maybe as a consequence of aggressive pressures. Final 12 months, the corporate mentioned it was “recalibrating” pay in response to Meta poaching expertise from their firm.
Right here’s a snapshot of the bottom wage acquired by H-1B employees at OpenAI, not together with inventory awards or bonuses:
Member of Intelligence & Investigations Workers: $320,000 to $382,500
Member of Technical Workers (AI Methods Engineer): $245,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Workers (Analysis & AI Methods): $310,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Workers (Analysis Engineer): $210,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Workers (Analysis Scientist): $245,000 to $685,000
Member of Technical Workers (Information Science): $255,000 to $490,000
Member of Technical Workers ({Hardware} Engineer): $250,000 to $555,000
Member of Technical Workers (Safety Engineer): $310,000 to $325,000
Member of Technical Workers (Software program Developer): $325,000
Member of Technical Workers (Software program Engineer): $170,000 to $490,000
Member of Design Workers: $245,000 to $310,000
Member of Product Workers (Product Administration): $210,000 to $325,000
Member of Program Workers: $150,000 to $355,000
Member of Finance Workers: $240,000 to $260,000
Member of Assist and Group Workers: $180,000 to $235,000
OpenAI’s excessive stage of pay displays how aggressively the corporate remains to be competing for AI expertise, even because it talks publicly about mitigating headcount progress. Earlier this 12 months, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mentioned in a city corridor occasion that the startup would decelerate its hiring tempo as a result of he believed AI would enable the corporate “to take action rather more with fewer folks.”
OpenAI is, nonetheless, nonetheless increasing its workforce — and paying its 4,000 employees nicely. The Wall Road Journal reported final 12 months that OpenAI workers obtain a mean of $1.5 million in inventory awards every year, greater than any tech startup in latest historical past.
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Key Takeaways
In accordance with federal filings, OpenAI pays a hefty price ticket for its expert employees.
Analysis scientists on the AI firm command salaries from $245,000 to $685,000.
The pay information reveals that OpenAI workers are among the many best-compensated employees in Silicon Valley.
Federal filings reveal that OpenAI pays prime greenback for expertise. The AI big compensates analysis scientists on its technical employees by over half one million {dollars} in base wage, not together with inventory awards or bonuses.
The ChatGPT-maker doesn’t publicly disclose wage information, however it’s required to submit federal filings with wage figures when hiring international employees. The ensuing information, considered by Enterprise Insider, exhibits that OpenAI pays engineering roles within the mid-six figures, whereas analysis scientists command salaries from $245,000 to $685,000.
