OpenAI Salaries — Compensation Data by Role

Overall Median Salary

$350,000

Pay Philosophy

OpenAI aims to be a top-tier payer in the AI research industry to attract the world's leading talent in artificial intelligence.

Salary Ranges by Role

Software Engineer

L3 (Entry)San Francisco, CA

$200,000 – $300,000USD

Software Engineer

L5 (Senior)San Francisco, CA

$350,000 – $500,000USD

Research Scientist

SeniorSan Francisco, CA

$400,000 – $650,000USD

Based on 2024-2025 industry estimates from public salary aggregators.

Compensation Benefits

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) matching, generous parental leave, unlimited PTO, and catered meals.

Equity & Stock Options

OpenAI typically provides significant equity grants in the form of profit participation units, which are highly competitive compared to standard tech industry RSU packages.

Salary Comparisons

Google

OpenAI total compensation packages are generally higher at the senior research and engineering levels.

Anthropic

Compensation structures are highly competitive and comparable between the two organizations.

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OpenAI

OpenAI

Salary Ranges by Role

Salary Comparisons

Community salary insights

Post-moderated community content

Sources

Salary Ranges by Role

Salary Comparisons

Community salary insights

Post-moderated community content

Sources