Here’s How Much Money OpenAI Employees Make — Including One Role That Pays Up to $685,000 Per Year
Federal filings reveal that OpenAI employees are among the best-compensated workers in Silicon Valley.
Federal filings reveal that OpenAI employees are among the best-compensated workers in Silicon Valley.
It's no secret that the race for top AI talent is fierce, and federal filings reveal just how aggressively OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is competing. While they don't publicly disclose salary figures, data obtained through H-1B visa applications offers a fascinating look into the lucrative compensation packages offered by the AI powerhouse.
Big Pay for Big Brains
If you've ever wondered what it takes to work at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, the answer, at least in part, is a hefty salary. Research scientists on OpenAI's technical staff can command base salaries well over half a million dollars, and that's before stock awards and bonuses are factored in.
According to federal filings reviewed by Business Insider, engineering roles at OpenAI typically fall into the mid-six figures. For research scientists, base salaries range from a substantial $245,000 to an impressive $685,000. These figures underscore the company's commitment to attracting and retaining the brightest minds in the field.
H-1B Visas and the Cost of Global Talent
The data comes from OpenAI's filings for H-1B visas, which are specialized visas for foreign workers with specialized skills. Despite a $100,000 fee imposed by the Trump administration in September for new H-1B applications, OpenAI continued its aggressive hiring. From October to December 2025 alone, the company onboarded over 60 new H-1B workers. Last year, OpenAI filed over 160 such applications.
A Snapshot of OpenAI's Base Salaries (Excluding Stock & Bonuses):
Here's a closer look at the base salaries for H-1B workers at OpenAI, highlighting the wide range of compensation across various roles:
Member of Intelligence & Investigations Staff: $320,000 to $382,500
Member of Technical Staff (AI Systems Engineer): $245,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Staff (Research & AI Systems): $310,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Staff (Research Engineer): $210,000 to $460,000
Member of Technical Staff (Research Scientist): $245,000 to $685,000
Member of Technical Staff (Data Science): $255,000 to $490,000
Member of Technical Staff (Hardware Engineer): $250,000 to $555,000
Member of Technical Staff (Security Engineer): $310,000 to $325,000
Member of Technical Staff (Software Developer): $325,000
Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer): $170,000 to $490,000
Member of Design Staff: $245,000 to $310,000
Member of Product Staff (Product Management): $210,000 to $325,000
Member of Program Staff: $150,000 to $355,000
Member of Finance Staff: $240,000 to $260,000
Member of Support and Community Staff: $180,000 to $235,000
More Than Just Base Salary
These impressive base salaries position OpenAI employees among the highest-compensated in Silicon Valley, a reflection of the intense competition for AI expertise. Last year, the company even acknowledged "recalibrating" pay in response to rivals like Meta poaching their talent.
And the compensation doesn't stop at base pay. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that OpenAI employees receive an average of $1.5 million in stock awards annually – a figure unmatched by most tech startups in recent history. This blend of high salaries and significant equity highlights the strategic importance OpenAI places on its human capital.
Interestingly, this aggressive compensation strategy comes even as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly stated that the company would slow its hiring pace, believing AI would enable it "to do so much more with fewer people." Despite these remarks, OpenAI continues to expand its workforce, currently employing around 4,000 individuals.
The high salaries and extensive benefits at OpenAI paint a clear picture: in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, securing top talent remains a paramount priority, and the company is willing to pay premium prices to ensure it stays at the forefront of innovation.