- Special grants add 25% to initial stock units.
A majority of Nvidia’s India-based workforce has received a significant boost to their compensation through a one-time stock award introduced by CEO Jensen Huang.
According to data from US-based salary tracking platform 6figr, employees have received payouts ranging from over Rs 5 lakh to as much as Rs 1 crore over the vesting period under what is being called the “Jensen Special Grant”, reported TNN.
The move highlights a broader shift in compensation strategies among global semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) firms, where stock-based incentives are increasingly becoming central to employee retention and long-term wealth creation.
What Is The ‘Jensen Special Grant’?
The special grant, rolled out in 2024, is a one-time stock award that provides employees with an additional 25 per cent of their initial restricted stock units (RSUs).
These RSUs are structured to vest over a four-year period, offering employees long-term incentives tied directly to the company’s performance.
The allocation is based on an average Nvidia share price of $898.2, with payouts calculated in local currency and converted to US dollars at an exchange rate of Rs 82.9 per dollar, according to 6figr.
The vesting schedule began with an initial 6.25 per cent payout on September 18, 2024, followed by equal quarterly instalments, and is set to continue until 2028.
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Inside The Numbers: How Much Employees Are Earning
Data reviewed from compensation documents shows that even mid-level employees are benefiting significantly from the stock grants.
For instance, a mid-level solutions architecture employee (IC2) received eight additional RSUs under the special grant, valued at approximately Rs 5.3 lakh at the time of allocation. This was over and above an annual equity grant of 29 RSUs worth around Rs 21.5 lakh.
The same employee’s total unvested equity stood at 156 RSUs, valued at more than Rs 1.2 crore as of April last year, illustrating the scale at which stock compensation is contributing to overall earnings, the media report noted.
Stock Pay Driving Wealth Creation In India
The trend reflects a larger transformation in India’s technology sector, where equity compensation is playing a pivotal role in creating wealth.
At Nvidia India, stock-based pay reportedly accounts for 50 per cent to 75 per cent of total compensation for many roles, making it a key driver of long-term income growth.
This has contributed to the emergence of a new class of dollar millionaires among Indian tech professionals, particularly those working in high-demand areas such as chip design and AI engineering.
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