OpenAI FDE Salary
Forward Deployed Engineer compensation at OpenAI, from disclosed postings and cited public data.
OpenAI's own posted pay bands put the median base near $239K. Figures below are base salary only and carry their source and date; equity and bonus, common at AI labs and startups, push total compensation higher.
OpenAI FDE Salary (Posted Pay Bands)
These are OpenAI's own legally-posted base-salary bands, harvested from its job board and cited in the final column. Base salary only; most of these roles also offer equity. Confidence: HIGH.
| Level | Base | Total Comp | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Deployed Engineer (Washington, DC) | $146K – $280K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Forward Deployed Software Engineer (New York City) | $153K – $325K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Forward Deployed Engineer (San Francisco) | $162K – $280K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Forward Deployed Software Engineer (San Francisco) | $185K – $325K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Applied AI Engineer (New York City) | $197K – $278K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Applied AI Engineer (San Francisco) | $197K – $280K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Applied AI Engineer (San Francisco) | $198K – $280K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
| Forward Deployed Engineer (Seattle) | $198K – $280K | – | OpenAI careers (posted pay band) (2026-09) |
Bands are base salary only and exclude equity and bonus; most of these roles also offer equity. Figures are the employer's own legally-posted pay ranges.
Harvested from OpenAI's own job board: 25 US Forward Deployed / Applied AI Engineer posting(s) carrying a pay-transparency base band. Each row links to the live posting.
Open OpenAI FDE Roles
- Manager, Forward Deployed Engineering New York, NY
- Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), Legal-SF New York, NY
- Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), Healthcare - SF San Francisco, CA
- Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), Healthcare - NYC New York, NY
- Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), Legal-NYC New York, NY
- Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Seattle Seattle, WA
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