okay. posting this because nobody at this level actually talks publicly and the information asymmetry is insane.
i'm ex-FAANG (left on my own terms about a year ago). went through the openai loop for a staff-level role earlier this year. did not take the offer for reasons unrelated to comp. but i can share the structure.
staff-equivalent offer, infrastructure focus, sf: base: $245k bonus target: 20% (so ~$49k) equity: $3.2M RSU grant, 4-year vest, 1-year cliff signing: $75k
the equity number is eye-catching but apply your own private-company discount. i've seen staff engineers take 409A valuations at face value and end up disappointed when secondary prices diverge. the $3.2M number above is at whatever they told me the 409A was, not a market price.
principal / distinguished level: i talked to someone in my network who got to this tier. i won't share their exact numbers but the equity grant was meaningfully higher (5M+ range quoted) with a similar base ceiling maybe $20-30k higher. at that level the comp is essentially a bet on the company's trajectory.
what's negotiable at staff+: base has less headroom (there's a ceiling they won't cross) signing is very negotiable, especially if you have a tight start date equity refreshes are worth asking about: when do annual refresh grants start, at what amount. this matters more than people realize for total 5-year value
the honest take: if you're staff+ at google or meta, openai base comp is roughly competitive or slightly below. the bet you're making is on the equity lottery. that's a valid bet. just be clear-eyed that it's a bet.
if you have other datapoints at this level, post them. the more we share, the less leverage the company has.