OpenAI's average stock-based compensation reached $1.5 million, setting a record for tech startups.

[OpenAI's Stock-Based Compensation Reaches $1.5 Million, Setting a Record for Tech Startups] According to a WSJ report on December 31st, financial data shows that OpenAI is paying its employees the highest compensation among almost all tech startups in recent years, with an average stock-based compensation of approximately $1.5 million per employee for its approximately 4,000 employees. WSJ's analysis of Equilar data shows that OpenAI's compensation in the year leading up to the IPO of major tech companies over the past 25 years is approximately 34 times that of 18 other companies. Financial data disclosed to investors this summer indicates that OpenAI's stock-based compensation is projected to increase by approximately $3 billion annually until 2030. The company recently notified employees that it will be eliminating a policy requiring employees to work at OpenAI for at least six months before receiving stock options, which could lead to further compensation increases. Analysis shows that OpenAI's compensation as a percentage of revenue will reach 46% by 2025, second only to Rivian (which generated no revenue in the year before its IPO) among the companies analyzed in the report. In comparison, Palantir's stock-based compensation accounted for 33% of its revenue in the year preceding its 2020 IPO, Google's was 15%, and Facebook's was 6%. (Jinshi)