OpenAI Number of Employees: Growth, Leadership, and Key Insights (2025)
TL;DR:
- OpenAI's workforce grew from 770 in Nov 2023 to 5,328 by April 2025 due to ChatGPT.
- Several former employees have launched successful AI startups.
- OpenAI's revenue is rapidly increasing, though profitability isn't expected until 2029.
- The company offers highly competitive salaries, especially for software engineers.
OpenAI has experienced powerful growth in its workforce over the past year (all thanks to ChatGPT). As of April 2025, the AI-giant company reported approximately 5,328 full-time employees, a 592% increase from 770 employees in November 2023.
Here we have some statistics to let you understand how many people work at OpenAI and how it has become an AI powerhouse:
OpenAI Employee Count Over Time
Here's a timeline showcasing OpenAI's employee growth over the years:
- 2015: 10 employees
- 2016: 25 employees
- 2017: 45 employees
- 2018: 80 employees
- 2019: 150 employees
- 2020: 250 employees
- 2021: 300 employees
- 2022: 375 employees
- 2023: 770 employees
- 2024: 3,531 employees
- 2025: 5,328 employees
This rapid expansion underscores OpenAI's growing influence in the artificial intelligence sector with its #1 product, ChatGPT.
Employee Departures and New Ventures
Several former OpenAI employees have ventured into creating their own startups. Notably, 23 ex-employees have founded AI startups that have collectively raised significant funding.
Some of these startups include:
- Anthropic: Founded by Dario Amodei, former VP of Research at OpenAI, Anthropic focuses on AI safety and has raised substantial funding.
- Safe Superintelligence Inc.: Co-founded by Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's former chief scientist, this startup aims to develop safe superintelligent AI systems.
- Eureka Labs: Established by Andrej Karpathy, a founding member of OpenAI, Eureka Labs focuses on AI education and has launched courses like LLM101n.
- Thinking Machines Lab: Founded by Mira Murati, launched in February 2025 after she left her position as Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI. Thinking Machines Lab aims to develop AI systems that are more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable, and integrates human values into the core product.
These ventures highlight the entrepreneurial spirit fostered within OpenAI and its impact on the broader AI ecosystem.
Leadership at OpenAI
OpenAI's top leadership team in 2025 includes:
- Sam Altman: CEO
- Greg Brockman: President
- Bret Taylor: Chairman
- Fidji Simo: CEO of Applications, overseeing product, finance, and sales divisions.
In March 2025, OpenAI announced leadership updates:
- Mark Chen: Promoted to Chief Research Officer.
- Brad Lightcap: Expanded role as Chief Operating Officer.
- Julia Villagra: Appointed as Chief People Officer.
This latest change is a strategic move by OpenAI to better utilize its workforce in a manageable way.
OpenAI's Profitability and Revenue
OpenAI's revenue has seen significant growth over the last 5 years:
- 2020: $3.5 million
- 2021: $28 million
- 2022: $200 million
- 2023: $1.6 billion
- 2024: $3.7 billion
- 2025 (Projected): $12.7 billion
Despite this growth, OpenAI does not expect to be cash-flow positive until it reaches $125 billion in revenue, which is projected around 2029.
Compensation at OpenAI
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| Photo Credit: Greg Brockman on X |
When we talk about a company's headcount, we often talk about its pay packages, and OpenAI offers competitive salaries:
- Software Engineers: $238K to $1.34M annually, with a median of $875K.
- Policy Managers: Approximately $155,917 annually.
- Research Managers: Approximately $471,915 annually.
Yes, OpenAI often hires software engineers to upgrade and maintain their products, and it's the best startup to join today.
If you still have some questions, let me answer them too:
Q: How many people work at OpenAI?
A: As of April 2025, OpenAI has approximately 5,328 full-time employees.
Q: How many OpenAI employees have left?
A: Several employees have departed to start their own ventures, with 23 notable ex-employees founding AI startups.
Q: Is OpenAI owned by Elon Musk?
A: No, Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI but left in 2018. He is currently involved in legal disputes with the company.
Q: Why did Elon Musk leave OpenAI?
A: Elon Musk departed due to disagreements over the company's direction and has since criticized its shift towards a for-profit model.
Q: Who is the CEO of OpenAI?
A: Sam Altman has been the CEO since 2019.
Q: Does OpenAI make a profit?
A: OpenAI is not yet profitable and doesn't expect to be until it reaches $125 billion in revenue, projected around 2029.
Q: Does OpenAI pay well?
A: Yes, OpenAI offers competitive compensation, with software engineers earning between $238K and $1.34M annually.
Q: Who owns OpenAI now?
A: OpenAI operates under a capped-profit model with a nonprofit board overseeing its operations.
NOTE: This comprehensive overview provides insights into OpenAI's employee growth, leadership, financials, and more as of 2025. We are keeping this updated with any latest developments as they happen.
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