OpenAI drops multimillion bonuses to lock in talent before GPT-5 launch

One day before unveiling GPT-5, Sam Altman told select OpenAI staff they’d get “special one-time awards” — huge bonuses aimed at keeping top teams from jumping ship.

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- Mid–single-digit millions for elite researchers, hundreds of thousands for key engineers

- Paid quarterly over two years, in cash or stock

- About a third of employees qualify — many who worked on GPT-5 are excluded

- Move comes as Meta, xAI, and others hunt for top AI talent

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Strategic paydays like this can keep your stars — but risk dimming morale for those left out.