Chinese tech firm gifts staff gold keycaps as bonus; heaviest one worth US$45,000

A Chinese tech company has been rewarding its employees with gold keycaps as a bonus for four consecutive years, earning their appreciation for “helping them manage wealth.”\nThe firm, Insta360, based in Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong province, recently honoured several outstanding employees by gifting them 21 gold keycaps to celebrate Programmer’s Day in China on October 24.\nThe heaviest keycap, the space key, weighs 35.02 grams and is currently valued at around 320,000 yuan (US$45,000).\n\nInsta360 has consistently provided gold keycaps as a Programmer’s Day bonus, totalling 55 keycaps over the years. The value of these gold bonuses has more than doubled since the first year due to rising gold prices.\nA prominent brand in consumer 360-degree cameras, Insta360 rivals GoPro, even outperforming it in some reviews. In the Chinese tech industry, the company is colloquially known as the “gold factory” because of its tradition of providing gold bonuses to employees.\nTo commemorate its 10-year anniversary in July, the company gifted all employees and interns a “gold blind box” containing pure gold stickers adorned with various designs, each weighing 0.36 grams. The gift was imbued with “emotional value,” accompanied by a message stating, “All that glitters is not only gold, but also you.”\n\nFor employees who recently married or welcomed a baby, the company offers a pure gold coin weighing one gram. During the latest year-end party, a 50-gram 999 gold bar was presented as the grand prize.\nOne employee remarked that the gold bonus is “very pragmatic” and “helps me manage my money.”\nAnother has collected gold coins for significant life events, expressing gratitude for having the company’s gold accompany these milestones. Despite the rising gold prices, he stated he would not sell them, believing “there are things that cannot be measured by money.”\n\nAnother employee expressed determination, saying: “I will work harder and fill my whole keyboard with gold keycaps.”\nInsta360’s founder, Liu Jingkang, explained that the company gives gold not for its monetary value, but for its “stability,” emphasising that a company’s stability relies on its talented workforce. The gold keycaps symbolise that each keystroke is a touch that “turns the stone into gold.”\nAn online observer commented: “I cannot express how much I envy the company’s employees.”\n