Characteristics of AI adopters and never-treated firms
| Characteristic |
Never-treated firms |
AI adopters |
Difference |
| Number of firms |
15,926 |
5,633 |
- |
| Mean headcount |
103.9 |
144.2 |
+40.3 |
| Median headcount |
26.8 |
46.8 |
+20.0 |
| Median YoY headcount growth (%) |
1.6 |
6.0 |
+4.4 |
| Mean salary ($) |
93,847 |
110,346 |
+$16,499 |
| Engineering share (%) |
18.6 |
26.8 |
+8.2 |
| Entry-level share (%) |
50.4 |
42.1 |
-8.3 |
| Administrative share (%) |
16.8 |
11.9 |
-5.0 |
| Sales share (%) |
25.6 |
24.2 |
-1.4 |
| Tech-adjacent sector share (%) |
25.9 |
54.2 |
+28.3 |
| VC-backed share (%) |
9.5 |
34.0 |
+24.5 |
| PE-backed share (%) |
6.0 |
9.4 |
+3.4 |
| Median firm age (years) |
8.0 |
6.0 |
-2.0 |
Notes: AI adopter firms are measured in the month immediately preceding sustained AI adoption. Never-treated firms are measured in December 2024.