OpenAI continues to expand its workforce, despite statements of intent to slow down hiring. From October to December 2025, the company employed over 60 foreign specialists – more than in the previous quarter. This is reported by Business Insider.
The article notes that the OpenAI team consists of graduates from leading universities, including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Salaries for AI researchers at OpenAI
The highest salaries in the company are received by researchers in the field of artificial intelligence. The base annual salaries range from:
Research Scientist – from 245,000 to 685,000 dollars
AI Systems Engineer – from 245,000 to 460,000 dollars
Research Engineer – from 210,000 to 460,000 dollars
Intelligence & Investigations Staff – from 320,000 to 382,500 dollars.
Overall, more than 4,000 employees receive compensation in the form of stocks averaging 1.5 million dollars.
Salaries at OpenAI for engineers and managers
High incomes are also offered to engineers and data analysis specialists. The average annual ranges are as follows:
Software Engineer – from 170,000 to 490,000 dollars
Hardware Engineer – from 250,000 to 555,000 dollars
Data Science – from 255,000 to 490,000 dollars
Security Engineer – from 310,000 to 325,000 dollars.
Product management, design, and sales specialists can expect salaries ranging from 150,000 to 355,000 dollars depending on the position.
Earlier, the company's CEO, Sam Altman, stated intentions to avoid mass layoffs, so OpenAI is trying to balance the growth rate of the team.
It is worth noting that the company OpenAI is implementing age verification for ChatGPT users.