OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has not published a full internal payroll. Base-salary ranges have still surfaced through job ads, pay reports, and coverage of federal filings. The numbers sit well above a normal tech salary.
Base pay is the cash salary. Total pay, once stock or profit units are included, can be several times higher.
Reported base ranges
Coverage citing federal-filing salary ranges puts base pay roughly here:
- Research scientist: about $245,000 to $685,000 a year
- Research engineer: about $210,000 to $460,000
- Software engineer: about $170,000 to $490,000
- Hardware engineer: about $250,000 to $555,000
- Data scientist: about $189,000 to $490,000
In early October 2026, a site that measured OpenAI’s posted US job ranges put the median advertised salary at about $308,000. The middle half ran from about $248,000 to $356,000. That is the midpoint of published ranges, not each employee’s actual paycheck.
The Head of Preparedness role announced by Sam Altman was reported at about $555,000 in base pay, plus equity.
Total pay is the bigger number
Levels.fyi-style reports say total compensation jumps far past base. A mid-level package may show a base of about $280,000 to $340,000, with total pay around $560,000 to $750,000. Senior levels are often reported above $1 million. Retention packages for top researchers have been reported in the millions.
The gap is equity, including Profit Participation Units. That is not monthly salary, and its value depends on the company. Some reports put average stock-based rewards near $1.5 million per employee. That is an average, not a check everyone receives.
Not a full leaked payroll
OpenAI has not confirmed a complete internal salary list. The figures above are public ranges or employee-reported numbers. Real pay depends on level, experience, and city. New hires and non-technical roles earn less than senior researchers.
In short, OpenAI base pay often runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Total pay can reach seven figures once equity is counted. The headline numbers are not everyone’s monthly salary.