A new idea gaining traction among global and Chinese tech companies is putting tokens – the smallest unit of data processed by artificial intelligence (AI) models – at the center of compensation discussions, as firms seek to boost productivity in an AI-driven development era. The concept suggests that, in addition to salaries, bonuses and equity, companies could allocate engineers a dedicated budget of AI tokens, which can be used to run AI agents, execute tasks and accelerate research and development (R&D). The idea recently garnered attention in Silicon Valley. In late March, Charles Lamanna, Executive Vice President at Microsoft, said in an interview that when responding to a job candidate who requested a specific allocation of AI tokens as part of their offer, he advised thinking in terms of daily usage ranging from USD100 to several hundred dollars.
Nvidia Founder and CEO Jensen Huang said at the company’s GTC conference that engineers could receive token allocations equivalent to roughly half of their base salary. Top engineers, he estimated, might consume up to USD250,000 worth of tokens annually. In addition, venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz, Founder of Theory Ventures, said inference costs are already emerging as a “fourth component” of engineering compensation, suggesting computing power should account for roughly one-fifth of a top-tier engineer’s package. Their Chinese counterparts are also moving in a similar direction. Major tech players including Alibaba, Tencent, UCloud and Kunlun Tech have introduced measures such as free token allocations or monthly subsidies to support employees’ development needs. According to Jiang Han, Senior Analyst at market consultancy Pangoal, the idea of specifying token quotas in job listings is becoming increasingly feasible in the AI era. “Leading companies are piloting token allocations as a form of productivity support, showing a shift in computing resources from an IT cost item to part of human capital allocation,” Jiang said. “This kind of quantifiable productivity enhancement is evolving into a new employment condition that could be incorporated into recruitment frameworks.”
Jiang added that token availability is becoming an important factor in attracting AI talent. “For core roles such as algorithm engineers and developers, sufficient token access means higher innovation and output efficiency. It has gone beyond a typical benefit to be a signal of a company’s commitment to technological investment.” Industry practices are already reflecting this shift. In February, AI tech firm Kunlun Tech announced that it would provide all technical staff with access to AI coding tools such as OpenAI Codex and Claude Code, along with a monthly subsidy of USD100 per account. Fang Han, Chairman and CEO of Kunlun Tech, said the company currently consumes between 1 trillion and 1.2 trillion tokens per month, with monthly spending on tokens reaching about CNY1.05 million, the China Daily reports.
