OpenAI has become the highest-paying tech startup in history, offering employees unprecedented compensation packages. In 2025, the company’s stock-based compensation averaged $1.5 million per employee, surpassing any other major tech startup in terms of total equity value per worker. This level of pay reflects OpenAI’s aggressive strategy to attract and retain top AI talent amid intense competition from rivals like Google, Meta, and Anthropic. The massive equity grants are part of a broader effort to align employee incentives with the company’s long-term mission and rapid growth. With its valuation soaring and a growing portfolio of cutting-edge AI models, OpenAI is offering compensation that not only matches but exceeds traditional tech giants, setting a new benchmark in the industry. The move underscores the extreme value placed on AI expertise and the lengths companies are going to secure the best minds in the field.