Does OpenAI pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, OpenAI employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at OpenAI. This rating has decreased by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at OpenAI?

76% of OpenAI employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated OpenAI 3.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at OpenAI?

Software Engineer (10) , Member Of Technical Staff (9) , Research Scientist (5) , AI Engineer (4) , Data Scientist (4) , Research Engineer (4) , Machine Learning Engineer (3) , Senior Software Engineer (3) , AI Intern (2) , AI Researcher (2) , AI Trainer (2) , GTM (2) , Programmer (2) , Recruiter (2) , Remote AI Trainer (2)

What are the pros of working at OpenAI according to real employee reviews?

"Really smart people" ((in 10 reviews)); "Competitive, good pay, cutting edge" ((in 9 reviews)); "Exciting field (sort of cutting edge) and very good compensation." ((in 7 reviews)); "High salary, better than the other" ((in 6 reviews)); "Good Comp and benefits, good working env" ((in 6 reviews))

What are the cons of working at OpenAI according to real employee reviews?

"Bad work life balance, stress" ((in 8 reviews)); "Heavy workload and tight deadlines" ((in 3 reviews)); "Work politics, terrible wlb (90+ hr work weeks, no weekends off), boring work, egotistical leadership, every man for himself" ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about OpenAI layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about OpenAI layoffs and their outlook for job security at OpenAI in 2026.

What are the top reviewed OpenAI locations?

San Francisco , New York , Kingman , Rhome , Dayton , California City , Los Angeles , Union City , Palo Alto , San Jose , California , Buford , Alaska , London , Hollywood, Los Angeles

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OpenAI

OpenAI reviews

4.1

76% would recommend to a friend

(20 total reviews)

Sam Altman

74% approve of CEO

76% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.6

Compensation and benefits

4.1

Career opportunities

3.8

Culture & values

3.7

Senior management

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

3.0

Work/Life balance

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

20 reviews

Reviews about "Culture"

Return to all reviews

5.0

Jun 29, 2026

Enjoyable culture but demanding pace

Current member of staff

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture; really enjoy the teammates

Cons

Super fast paced, can be very tiring

5.0

Jun 5, 2026

OAI researcher

Research engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

high talent density, good research culture, good TC. compute generally isn't an issue. people are very serious and in it to win it. sama is very competent

Cons

has become googleified as time goes on, more top-down. employees are also somewhat entitled/spoiled when dealing with leadership (some may not see this as a downside though)

5.0

May 31, 2026

High-performing culture, but dizzying pace of change

Sales

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing mission-driven and high-performing culture

Cons

Speed is dizzying; things moving insanely fast on all dimensions all at once.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 20 Reviews

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Enjoyable culture but demanding pace

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High-performing culture, but dizzying pace of change

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