Desk·2026-09-14
Jump cash still clears the OpenAI mark
Same software-engineer title. Jump Trading pays the year in cash. OpenAI pays the mark in paper. Name the floor before the lab.
OpenAI typical $653,000 against $460,000 at Jump Trading.
SWE typical
OpenAI typical sits ~1.42× Jump
Same title. Chicago shop clears cash you keep. Frontier lab clears paper you underwrite. Thin samples on the shop side.
How to plan it
Clear the Chicago cash seat before the lab mark
A mid IC who can ship systems in C++ or low-latency should sit Jump, Jane Street, and HRT before treating OpenAI as the default high-band seat. Jump prints $460k typical in cash you can spend in two years. OpenAI prints $653k with a thinner cash mix and a larger book. The shop compounds the year you keep. The lab compounds optionality you may never realize. If you need a floor for a house or a family in Chicago, the HFT desk is the plan. If you can carry the mark and want the frontier resume, take the OpenAI loop — but name the tradeoff. Do not treat a $460k shop year and a $653k lab mark as the same career move. The title is shared; the books are not.
Also: Chicago SWE · Jump vs OpenAI