How much does Apple pay employees in AI, software roles?
What's the story
Apple's salary structure for key engineering and artificial intelligence (AI) roles has been revealed in public filings. The data, obtained by Business Insider, shows how much the tech giant pays its top talent. As the competition heats up in the AI space, Apple is offering highly competitive pay to attract and retain talent across software, data, and design roles.
Compensation details
Salary ranges for software roles
Apple offers some of the highest salaries in tech across its most in-demand roles. Software Development Engineers earn between $132,267 and $378,700, while Data Scientists fall in the $105,550 to $322,400 range. Machine Learning (ML) Engineers ($143,100-$312,200) and Researchers ($114,100-$312,200) reflect Apple's focus on AI, whereas Software Engineering Managers command up to $378,700. Even design roles stand out, with Human Interface Designers ranging from $135,400 to an impressive $468,500.
Information
Pay scale for hardware engineers
On the hardware side, Apple pays Hardware Systems Engineers $125,495 to $378,700, and AR/VR Software Developers $129,805 to $312,200. Specialists like RF/Analog/Mixed Signal Engineers ($131,352-$312,200) and Design Verification Engineers ($103,164-$312,200) also feature in the top bracket, underscoring Apple's balance of software, hardware, and design excellence.
Team focus
Apple is facing an exodus to Meta
The salary disclosures come as Apple's AI unit is under increased scrutiny. In the last few weeks, four engineers from Apple's Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group have reportedly left for Meta. This has prompted Apple to raise salaries for top AI and ML talent. The company is aggressively hiring for roles in ML, AR/VR, software engineering, and data science to boost its generative AI capabilities, on-device intelligence, and personalization features across devices.