OpenAI - Competitive Intelligence BETA
Get insider information on how OpenAI structures their compensation.
⏰ Recent Updates
- OpenAI does not negotiate offers. They provide a high base salary and profit participation units in their offers. They do not typically provide sign-on bonuses as well.
- June 2023 - https://www.levels.fyi/blog/openai-compensation.html
- October 2023 - OpenAI offering $10M in compensation for researchers
- February 2024 - OpenAI is valued above $80B and will sell existing shares via a tender offer.
- May 2024 - OpenAI makes departing employees sign a confidentiality agreement which covers a general release of vested PPUs, arbitration, nonsolicitation, and nondisparagement, and broad 'noninterference' clauses. This means that, employees who do not follow the agreement could lose their PPUs, even if they are vested. This is an unprecedented type of agreement.
- June 2024 - OpenAI has changed its policies toward secondary share sales to allow current and former employees to participate equally in its annual tender offers
📄 Offer Overview
🧐 Compensation Philosophy
What does a typical offer look like? What forms of compensation? Anything particularly unique to this company? How does this company pay relative to rest of market? How is compensation determined and set? Does compensation differ by location?
Typical offer contains two components: Base Salary and Profit Participation Units. Base salary is generally standard across leveling and much higher relative to competitors. The profit participation units are a tricky part, but work like profit interest units. For more details on the profit participation units, see our blog post here.
OpenAI has an internal compensation guideline they use to ensure pay equity among employees. Our data also seems to support this, with many employees reporting similar base salaries and PPUs. They also have an internal valuation tool, which they use to determine the value and growth of PPUs, so the specific numbers aren’t likely to end up in the public’s awareness.
We also don’t know how many PPUs are offered in a traditional offer, so we can’t say how they value each specific unit.
As of February 2024, OpenAI was valued above $80B and sold existing shares via a tender offer, which is typically how employees are able to capitalize on their PPUs. It’s difficult to know how often these events happen and who is allowed to sell, though, as it’s on company discretion.
💵 Cash Compensation (Salary & Sign-on Bonus)
Do they give a sign-on bonus? If so, how much?
OpenAI does not provide a sign-on bonus.
📈 Equity Compensation (Valuation & Vesting Schedule)
How is value per share determined? What is the vesting schedule? Are signing bonuses offered and what is the range?
Equity type: Profit Participation Units
Vesting Schedule: 25/25/25/25 - Evenly over 4 years
There is a 2-year cliff with their equity, so you cannot participate in the PPUs until you hit 2 years of tenure.
💳 Benefits & Non-monetary Compensation
What notable benefits does this company provide? Note: Also check Levels.fyi's public benefits page for this company.
In addition to standard medical, dental, mental health benefits, they offer the following:
- 401(k) plan with 4% matching
- Unlimited time off and 18+ company holidays per year
- Paid parental leave (20 weeks) and family-planning support
- Annual learning & development stipend ($1,500 per year)
⏳ Timeline
How much time does someone have to think about an offer before accepting? Are they strict about dates?
OpenAI seems very intentional about their hiring and will wait for the right candidate, offer deadlines can range from 1 week to 4 weeks.
🛳 Visas & Immigration
What are the companies policies for hiring non-US citizens? How does immigration process work?
Unsure on this at this stage.
🚨 Gotcha's
Anything to watch out for?
- OpenAI does not negotiate.
🤑 Negotiations
🔍 Process Overview
How are offers generated? How soon can someone hear back from the recruiter after negotiating? How many rounds of negotiations can be done? What happens after signing an offer?
OpenAI does not negotiate, even with competing offers, retention offers, etc. The best way to negotiate compensation is to prioritize leveling of the role.
Similar competitors, such as Anthropic and Scale AI, also do note negotiate their offers.
⚖️ Levers
What components can be negotiated? What levers can be adjusted (ex. salary can be increased)?
None, though there does seem to be some variance of base salaries/equity among offers, we aren’t sure how it’s determined.
👥 Stakeholders
Who's involved in the process (ex. hiring manager, recruiter, etc.)? Who has the authority to make compensation decisions?
The recruiter and hiring manager are heavily involved in the process.
📎 Other Negotiables
Can PTO be negotiated? Can relocation be negotiated? Can any other benefits be negotiated?
No
💼 Negotiation for Employees
If I start and I get promoted, do I get to re-negotiate my package? Can I negotiate a raise? How hard is it to negotiate an increase after I join?
No
👩💻 Employee Compensation Policies
♻️ Refreshers
What happen after 4 years when my stocks are fully vested?
Unsure of refreshers for OpenAI. Considering their PPU model, it seems unlikely.
💲 Performance Bonuses
Are they given? How do they work? When are yearly bonuses paid out? When is the cut-off for someone to be eligible for a performance review?
There are no performance bonuses.