China’s Insta360, the action-camera and imaging-tech company, has again made headlines for its extravagant employee giveaways. According to reports in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the firm gifted 21 pure-gold keyboard keycaps to employees during Programmer’s Day celebrations in late October 2025. The gifts, shaped like individual computer keys, have become a quirky annual tradition at the company and have now attracted widespread global attention.
How much the gold keys are worth
One of the most striking details is the value of the heaviest piece: a 35.02-gramme gold “Space” keycap worth about 320,000 yuan, which translates to nearly Rs 40 lakh. Other keycaps weighed less but still carried significant value. At current gold prices, the total value of the heaviest key alone touches the 40-lakh mark when converted to INR. This year’s 21 keycaps bring the company’s four-year total to 55 gold keys gifted to employees.
Why Insta360 gives such unusual rewards
The choice of gifting gold keycaps is symbolic, Insta360 said. The keyboard key represents the skills, creativity and precision of its engineering teams, while the use of gold reflects how the company values talent. The firm explained that the gifts are meant to celebrate problem-solving and long hours invested in the company’s major product launches. Gold, culturally significant across East Asia, was chosen to convey “stability, prosperity and appreciation”.
How employees reacted
Employee reactions quickly turned the story viral. Several engineers posted photos of their regular keyboards with a single gold keycap attached, joking that they planned to “fill the entire keyboard with gold” if Insta360 continued the tradition. A photo caption reading “One down, 88 to go” spread rapidly on Chinese social platforms, eventually making its way into Indian and international media coverage. SCMP reported that many netizens praised the company for creativity, while others joked about protecting the keys from being accidentally swapped or stolen at the office.
A corporate culture designed for buzz
The story taps into a growing trend of tech companies offering creative, shareable and memorable rewards to boost morale and attract talent. While Insta360’s bonus is lavish, the company insists the gesture is primarily about recognition rather than headline-grabbing. Still, with more than four dozen gold keys gifted so far, the tradition has effectively become a marketing phenomenon, reinforcing Insta360’s reputation as one of China’s most distinctive tech employers.
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