OpenAI
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OpenAI's salary ranges from $144,275 in total compensation per year for a Technical Writer at the low-end to $1,339,000 for a Software Engineer at the high-end. Levels.fyi collects anonymous and verified salaries from current and former employees of OpenAI. Last updated: 2/11/2025
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Just accepted an offer in my 5th year of working as a SWE and was taking a look at my salary progression over the years. Was curious on what y'all's salary growth has looked like over the course of your career!
New Grad Offer @ Defense Contractor: ~$75k TC
1 YOE Job hopped to mid-sized tech company: ~$100k
~3 YOE Job hopped to FAANG: ~$189k TC
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Vesting Schedule
25%
YR 1
25%
YR 2
25%
YR 3
25%
YR 4
Stock Type
PPU
At OpenAI, PPUs are subject to a 4-year vesting schedule:
25% vests in the 1st-year (25.00% annually)
25% vests in the 2nd-year (25.00% annually)
25% vests in the 3rd-year (25.00% annually)
25% vests in the 4th-year (25.00% annually)
PPU stands for Profit Participation Units. The foundation for PPUs are PIUs, which are a form of equity compensation, with heavily customizable terms, that are popular among startups backed by private equity investors.
25%
YR 1
25%
YR 2
25%
YR 3
25%
YR 4
Stock Type
PPU
At OpenAI, PPUs are subject to a 4-year vesting schedule:
25% vests in the 1st-year (25.00% annually)
25% vests in the 2nd-year (2.08% monthly)
25% vests in the 3rd-year (2.08% monthly)
25% vests in the 4th-year (2.08% monthly)
PPU stands for Profit Participation Units. The foundation for PPUs are PIUs, which are a form of equity compensation, with heavily customizable terms, that are popular among startups backed by private equity investors.
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