Samsung is set to reward its employees with a substantial bonus, with each worker expected to receive around £300,000 ($400,000) thanks to the surge in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This bonus is part of a profit-sharing agreement that will benefit 78,000 chip workers, equivalent to 10.5% of semiconductor operating profits, primarily distributed in stocks.
The agreement was reached after a five-month dispute between Samsung and its labor union, culminating in a deal supported by 74% of the voting workforce. Without this agreement, the union had threatened an 18-day strike that could have disrupted global chip supplies.
While the exact bonus amount will vary based on job roles, on average, workers are expected to receive 513 million won (£250,000). However, other estimates suggest that some workers could receive up to 600 million won (£300,000), nearly four times the average salary earned by Samsung employees in 2025.
The bonus will be directed to unionized technical staff, excluding subcontractors, but will not include employees at the consumer electronics division responsible for Samsung smartphones and laptops. Samsung’s market valuation has surpassed $1 trillion (£740 billion) as investors continue to show confidence in AI-related stocks.
In its latest financial report, Samsung announced a significant surge in operating profit to 57.2 trillion won (£28.4 billion) and record revenue of 133.9 trillion won (£66.5 billion). The trend of soaring market valuations extends to other chipmakers like SK Hynix and Micron, both reaching the $1 trillion mark this week.
Notably, tech giants such as Nvidia, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google-owner Alphabet, and Meta also boast valuations exceeding $1 trillion, illustrating the immense value of technology and AI firms in the current market landscape.