OpenAI Engineers Earn $900K Per Year: How Does That Compare To Salaries at Other Top Tech Companies?
Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Artificial intelligence is a booming field, and those with relevant experience are being paid handsomely for their knowledge. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is one company that’s paying top dollar for the right talent. For a level 5 software engineer, the average base salary is $301,583 with an additional $604,167 in stock grants per year, bringing the average total compensation to a whopping $905,750, according to levels.fyi.
Here’s a look at how that compares to engineer salaries offered at top tech companies like Google, Apple and Meta.
Apple Engineer Salaries
Apple engineer salaries vary widely based on experience level, but even entry-level engineers will take home six figures. Between base salary, stock grants and bonuses, an entry-level junior software engineer earns $152,000 per year, according to levels.fyi. The average total compensation for those who climb the ranks to “distinguished engineer” is an incredible $1.54 million, with the majority of those earnings coming from stock grants (an average of $983,000 per year).
Google Engineer Salaries
The base salary for an entry-level software engineer (level 3) at Google is $140,000, with an additional $45,000 in stock grants and bonuses, levels.fyi reported. Those who become a level 9 distinguished engineer will take home an average of $2.6 million per year — that breaks down to an average base salary of $373,000, stock grants worth $2.07 million per year and $150,000 in bonuses.
Facebook Engineer Salaries
Facebook also compensates its software engineers handsomely. The average total compensation for an entry-level E3 software engineer is $193,000; for an E5 software engineer, the average total compensation is $522,000; for an E7 software engineer, the average total compensation is $1.53 million; and for an E9 software engineer, the average total compensation is $3.25 million, according to levels.fyi.
Microsoft Engineer Salaries
Software engineers at Microsoft can also clear the $1 million mark if they climb the ranks high enough. Engineers start at level 59, with a total average compensation of $168,000, levels.fyi reported. If they reach level 69, the average total compensation is $1.12 million, which includes an average base salary of $292,000, $675,000 in stock grants and $153,000 in bonuses.
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