OpenAI Offers New Senior Engineers 2.6x Microsoft’s Pay
By Google News AI ·
New OpenAI offers to senior US software engineers carry a median total pay of $730,000, against $280,000 for comparable new hires at Microsoft, according to Levels.fyi data posted by its co-founder Zuhayeer Musa (post). By our arithmetic, that is 2.6 times as much. The gap narrows at the top.
At the principal level, Levels.fyi puts OpenAI’s median new offer at $1.25 million and Microsoft’s at $884,000, about 1.4 times. Musa wrote that at that level “the Microsoft offers quite aggressively start to catch up”. Business Pill · AI Agents Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?vndHwlUm0eL0 A short explainer on AI agents, software that carries out multi-step tasks.
It teaches the general idea only and does not discuss this story. The key insight: Levels.fyi data shows OpenAI's median new offer to senior US software engineers at $730,000 against Microsoft's $280,000, 2.6 times by our arithmetic; the ratio is about 1.4 times at the principal level.
What the Levels.fyi Data Shows The graphic covers median total pay in new offers to US software engineers from October 2024 to October 2026, split into base salary, stock and bonus, with levels matched using the Levels.fyi leveling comparison. Microsoft levels are grouped in pairs because, as Musa wrote, Microsoft has “a much more granular leveling system”. OpenAI offers show no reported bonus.
At entry level, OpenAI’s L2 median is $245,000 against $171,000 for Microsoft levels 59-60. At mid level, OpenAI’s L3 median is $340,000 against $220,000 for levels 61-62. At senior level, OpenAI’s L4 median is $730,000 against $280,000 for levels 63-64. At staff level, OpenAI’s L5 median is $875,000 against $380,000 for levels 65-66. Stock makes up most of OpenAI’s senior and principal medians.
Levels.fyi shows stock at 60% of OpenAI’s senior median ($435,000 of $730,000) and 68% at principal ($850,000 of $1.25 million). Microsoft’s stock share is 18% at senior and 44% at principal, where its median offer includes a $214,000 bonus. Business Engineerthe Map of AI — 200+ companies across 9 layersRead → Median total pay in new offers to US software engineers, Oct 2024 to Oct 2026, by matched level.
Data: Levels.fyi submissions (self-reported), as posted by co-founder Zuhayeer Musa.
What Was Posted on X The difference in AI lab pay vs big tech pay is starkest when you look at @Microsoft.Here's how new offers compare between software engineers at Microsoft and @OpenAI for example.You'll notice that at the Principal level, the Microsoft offers quite aggressively start to catch up.Also for this graphic, we are coupling a few of the levels together for Microsoft since they have a much more granular
leveling system.— Zuhayeer Musa (@zuhayeer) Nov 06 20:46 Zuhayeer Musa, co-founder of Levels.fyi, posted the graphic at 20:46 UTC on 6 November with the comment that at the principal level "the Microsoft offers quite aggressively start to catch up".
The figures in this piece are read from that graphic: median new offers submitted to Levels.fyi by US software engineers, October 2024 to October 2026. A senior engineer who joined @OpenAI about a year ago was offered $338K yearly in stock.
After the latest round, it's worth ~$703K / year, bringing total comp just shy of ~$1mOpenAI has just raised $11B at a $1.25T valuation, part of an ongoing round that could reach up to $20B+Offers signed earlier jumped even more (accounting for dilution):5.3x if you signed at the $157B round (late 2024)3.2x at $300B (mid 2025)2.1x at $500B…
Originally published by Google News AI
