MiniMax CEO Forgoes Salary and Gives Up 5% Stake
N.R. Finch
MiniMax founder Yan Junjie announced he will take zero pay effective immediately and hand over 5% of the company's equity over four years — a personal bet on AGI that doubles as a retention play amid fierce competition for AI talent.
No salary — what exactly did he promise?
Yan Junjie（閆俊傑）told staff in a company-wide letter that he will receive no compensation of any kind, effective immediately, until MiniMax achieves artificial general intelligence (AGI).
This means → his personal income is now tied to the company's ultimate goal: no AGI, no pay.
In plain terms = the founder is telling the team "I'm not sending you to the front while I collect a paycheck in the back."
How is the 5% stake divided?
4% of total equity will vest over four years, reserved for incentivizing core team members who stay long-term.
A separate 1% will go into a dedicated fund to support relevant open-source communities.
This means → the incentive is weighted toward retention, not recruitment — the four-year vesting period targets people already on the ground.
Why now?
Yan directly addressed recent market volatility in the letter, stressing the company's long-term direction is unchanged.
This reflects the current reality of the AI race: when market sentiment wobbles, core talent is most vulnerable to poaching.
In plain terms = giving up salary and equity carries more weight than an empty pep talk — it's the founder putting real money behind his words.
Will this actually retain talent?
The letter frames the move as "a long-term commitment from the founder," closing with "We will keep going until we get there. Intelligence with Everyone."
This means → Yan is staking both personal credibility and financial interest, giving the team a clear signal to stay or go.
Whether the gesture can effectively hold key people in an increasingly competitive AI landscape remains the open question — promises carry weight only as long as technology and business progress back them up.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.