A majority of Nvidia‘s 10,000 India-based employees have received CEO Jensen Huang‘s one-time special stock grant, with payouts ranging from over ₹5 lakh to as much as ₹1 crore over the grant period, according to data from US-based salary tracker 6figr. The “Jensen Special Grant”, rolled out in 2024, is a one-time stock award that provides employees an additional 25% of their initial restricted stock units (RSUs).
The grant vests over four years, with values determined in local currency and converted into US dollars at an exchange rate of ₹82.9 per dollar. RSUs were allocated based on an average Nvidia share price of $898.2 and will vest over four years, starting with 6.25% on Sept 18, 2024, followed by equal quarterly instalments, ending in 2028. has reviewed a copy of the compensation letter. In one instance, a mid-level employee in a solutions architecture role (IC2) received eight additional RSUs under the special grant, valued at about ₹5.3 lakh at the time of allocation. This was in addition to an annual equity grant of 29 RSUs worth roughly ₹21.5 lakh.
The document further shows that the employee’s total unvested equity stood at 156 RSUs, valued at over ₹1.2 crore as of April last year, underlining the growing importance of stock awards as a retention strategy. When TOI reached out to Nvidia regarding the special grant and broader pay structure, the company’s spokesperson said, “As a policy, we don’t share or comment on employee compensation details.”India is witnessing a fresh wave of dollar millionaires, driven by equity-led compensation at global semiconductor and AI firms. At Nvidia India, stock-based pay can account for 50% to 75% of total compensation, making it the primary driver of long-term wealth creation.
For mid- to senior-level roles, particularly in chip design and AI engineering, equity grants often far exceed fixed salaries. Deep technical expertise, especially in hardware and AI, commands a significant premium over managerial tracks, with top engineers earning ₹2-3 crore in annual compensation, according to 6figr.At the upper end, IC6 engineers form the highest-paid cohort, with software engineers at this level earning an average of about ₹1.8 crore, and top earners approaching ₹1.9 crore.