# SK Hynix to pay 60% of bonuses in stock instead of cash > Source: > Published: 2026-08-20 12:55:51+00:00 Via tomshardware.com # SK Hynix to pay 60% of bonuses in stock instead of cash The memory chip giant's record profit-sharing payouts are shifting toward equity as the company tries to balance employee rewards with shareholder interests SK Hynix, the South Korean memory chip powerhouse riding the AI boom to record profits, just told its workforce that most of their bonuses will come in company stock rather than cold, hard cash. Under a preliminary agreement reached on August 20, 60% of the company’s 2026 profit-sharing bonuses will be paid in SK Hynix shares, with the remaining 40% in cash. The deal still needs union approval, but the signal is clear: the era of all-cash bonus payouts at SK Hynix is over. ## A half-million-dollar average bonus, mostly in shares The numbers here are genuinely staggering. SK Hynix’s profit-sharing program allocates 10% of annual operating profit to employee bonuses. For 2026, that works out to an average payout of roughly 779 million won per worker, or approximately $547,000. The stock portion will be distributed on a staggered schedule. Employees will receive 40% of the total bonus value in shares during 2027, with the remaining 20% split across 2028 and 2029. The 40% cash component is also slated for 2027. One notable detail: there will be no lock-up period or restrictions on selling the shares once received. ## Why the shift from cash to stock SK Hynix has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI infrastructure buildout. Its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips are essential components in the GPUs powering data centers for companies like Nvidia, and demand has been relentless. That success has translated into enormous operating profits, which in turn has meant enormous bonus obligations under the company’s profit-sharing formula. The company has also been pursuing accelerated treasury share buybacks and cancellations, a parallel effort to boost shareholder value. Together, these moves paint a picture of a company trying to thread a needle: rewarding employees generously while managing cash outflows. Negotiations with the union began in early August, and the preliminary agreement suggests both sides found the terms acceptable enough to move forward. Even at 40% cash, workers are looking at average payouts north of $200,000 in liquid funds, with the equity component offering potential appreciation. Workers who receive shares in 2027 can immediately sell them and convert to cash if they prefer certainty over upside. But immediate selling by thousands of employees could itself create downward pressure on the stock, a dynamic that SK Hynix’s treasury buyback program may be designed to counterbalance. **Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our [Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).