OpenAI has finally allowed current and former employees to donate their equity to charity, marking a shift after years of frustration. The company sent an internal email from its equity team confirming that eligible employees can now participate in a charitable donation program, according to a memo seen by The Verge. The move comes amid growing employee dissatisfaction over OpenAI’s restrictive equity policies. For years, employees were unable to donate their shares, despite the company previously promoting such options as a recruitment tool during the intense AI talent war. Now, with OpenAI’s valuation soaring, the ability to donate could allow some employees with six-figure grants from 2019 to give millions to charity. A source familiar with the situation said the company is about 18 months behind schedule in fulfilling a promise to enable donations, which is especially concerning given the program’s past use as a retention and recruitment incentive. In contrast, OpenAI’s rival Anthropic offers a 1:1 matching program for up to 25% of an employee’s equity grant, a feature that has drawn attention in the competitive AI job market. However, the new donation window comes with a major limitation: a very short deadline. The timeframe for deciding on donation amounts and details is significantly shorter than the standard 20 business days required by the SEC for other liquidation events, such as tender offers. This has made it difficult for some employees to act, especially since the email strongly recommends consulting a tax or financial adviser—something that’s not feasible under tight time constraints. Some employees have also been unable to participate due to a lack of prior notice and the indefinite hold on earlier donation plans. The change follows a period of increasing employee pushback. Over the past few years, concerns have mounted about OpenAI’s control over equity, including fears that vested shares could be clawed back if employees violated non-disparagement agreements. These issues have been raised in internal Slack channels and all-hands meetings. The timing of the announcement is notable. It comes after OpenAI completed its for-profit restructuring, a process that took over a year and involved negotiations with the attorneys general of California and Delaware. The company, originally founded in 2015 as a nonprofit, is now structured to allow for a for-profit entity while still maintaining a nonprofit parent. A key unresolved question remains: whether the nonprofit will retain control over the development of artificial general intelligence, or AGI. OpenAI’s share price has also risen sharply since the early 2024 tender offer, when shares were valued at around $430 each. Now, the fair market value is estimated at about $483 per share, according to the source, who believes the increase is partly due to the reduced financial obligations OpenAI now owes its nonprofit parent. Correction: OpenAI employees were initially told to expect a charitable donation opportunity after the early 2024 tender offer, not the late 2024 one.