AI spending reaches $7,500 per employee monthly at top firms
7 reported1 unconfirmed
According to fresh research from the Ramp AI Index, the top 1% of American businesses — described as “AI-pilled” — are spending $7,500 per employee each month on artificial intelligence. This figure is less than the roughly $16,000 per month that the average software engineer earns. The top 10% of firms spend about $611 monthly per employee, while the median firm spends only $11.38, roughly the cost of an enterprise plan seat. Among the AI-pilled firms, spending grew 14.1% per employee last month, though it is not yet clear if that trend will continue. The top 1% of firms tend to mix and match between multiple frontier models and platforms offering cheaper open-source models. An Nvidia executive recently noted that compute costs now exceed employee salaries, and Mercor’s CEO said the startup spends more on tokens for internal agents than on headcount.
What’s reported
The top 1% of firms spend $7,500 per employee per month on AI.
The average software engineer makes roughly $16,000 per month.
The top 10% spend about $611 monthly per employee.
The median firm spends $11.38 per employee per month.
AI spending among AI-pilled firms grew 14.1% per employee last month.
An Nvidia executive said compute costs now exceed employee salaries.
Mercor’s CEO said the startup spends more on tokens for internal agents than on headcount.
Open questions
Whether the trend of rising AI spending among top firms will continue.
Key figures
Nvidia executive (not named in article)
Mercor’s CEO (not named in article)
Sources: TechCrunch
