Open AI announces $1.5M bonus for every employee

Status of the Report / What’s Actually Being Offered

• Thread notes the story is based on a LinkedIn post, not official communications.
• Several commenters say they can’t find corroboration from OpenAI or press.
• Later comments claim insiders and recruiters say the “every employee gets $1.5M” headline is false or exaggerated, and that only certain researchers or technical staff got a retention grant.
• The “bonus” is described as a grant vesting over 2 years, not immediate cash. What exactly is granted (cash vs equity) and who exactly gets it remains unclear.

Bubble, AI Race & Comparisons to Past Manias

• Many see the move as strong evidence of an AI bubble: huge compensation, high GPU spend, and unclear monetization outside a few vendors.
• Comparisons are drawn to the dot-com era (burn rates, Yahoo/AOL valuations) and other bubbles (Bitcoin, tulip mania).
• Others argue the technology is genuinely transformative; bubbles and real impact can coexist, as with the internet.
• Debate over whether LLMs are already delivering “massive value” outside the model providers; several are skeptical.

Compensation, Inequality & Work Conditions

• Shock at the sum: for many around the world, even 1/100 of it is life-changing. Concrete stories of people surviving on ~15k/year in expensive cities sharpen the contrast.
• Some point out that high salaries are partly offset by SF/Bay housing costs; $1.5M becomes a down payment, not generational wealth.
• There’s tension between “do what pays best, then fund your passion” and “life/energy is too finite to trade entirely for money.”
• Reports from people with friends at OpenAI say many employees work 10–14 hours a day, 7 days a week; the money is framed as paying an entire 30‑year career “now.”

Retention, Poaching & “Missionaries vs Mercenaries”

• Many see this as golden handcuffs: a 2‑year retention play to block poaching from other AI giants.
• Some say it conflicts with prior rhetoric about “missionaries” rather than mercenaries; others argue missionaries also like getting paid.
• Discussion that such stunts feel like PR one‑upmanship and heighten bubble vibes.

Ethics & Broader Impact

• Some call the money “blood money,” tied to unconsented data use in training.
• Debate over whether training on others’ content is theft or akin to reading.
• Speculation that if AGI destroys labor demand, owning a house and savings from such windfalls may be one of the few protections—assuming any stable order persists.