H-1B visa data reveals the salary that OpenAI pays engineers, researchers, data scientists in the US
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this year pledged to ‘dramatically slow down’ hiring. Despite the pledge, OpenAI continues to expand its workforce, including recruiting talent from abroad. As reported by Business Insider, the newly released H-1B visa filings offer a rare glimpse into the base salaries the AI lab pays to its researchers, engineers, data scientists and more in the United States. OpenAI’s filings show that the company pays at the very top of the market across functions. While the data reflects only base salaries—excluding stock awards and bonuses that can push compensation far higher—it underscores the fierce competition for AI talent.
The continuous talent wars
The H-1B filing also cover more than 160 roles across four consecutive quarters, with more than 60 overseas hires between October and December 2025 alone. This growth comes despite the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications, imposed in September. OpenAI’s workforce, now numbering over 4,000 employees, is drawn from elite institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon. According to The Wall Street Journal, employees receive an average of $1.5 million in stock-based compensation, further highlighting the premium placed on AI expertise.
OpenAI H‑1B Salary Data (2025–26)
Here’s a look at the salary range of H-1B employees at Amazon
| Role | Salary Range (USD) |
| AI Researchers | |
| Member of Intelligence & Investigations Staff | $320,000 – $382,500 |
| Member of Technical Staff (AI Systems Engineer) | $245,000 – $460,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Research & AI Systems) | $310,000 – $460,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Research Engineer) | $210,000 – $460,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Research Scientist) | $245,000 – $685,000 |
| Engineers & Data Scientists | |
| Member of Data Science Staff | $188,885 – $405,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Data Science) | $255,000 – $490,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Hardware Engineer) | $250,000 – $555,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Security Engineer) | $310,000 – $325,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Software Developer) | $325,000 |
| Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer) | $170,000 – $490,000 |
| Product, Program & Design Staff | |
| Member of Design Staff | $245,000 – $310,000 |
| Member of Product Staff (Product Management) | $210,000 – $325,000 |
| Member of Program Staff | $150,000 – $355,000 |
| Sales & Operations Staff | |
| Member of Finance Staff | $240,000 – $260,000 |
| Member of Go To Market Staff | $180,000 – $290,000 |
| Member of Go To Market Staff (Customer Success) | $165,000 – $240,000 |
| Member of Go To Market Staff (Forward Deployed Engineer) | $220,000 |
| Member of Go To Market Staff (Support Engineer) | $235,000 |
| Member of Support & Community Staff | $180,000 – $235,000 |
