Here’s how much salary Apple pays employees in AI roles, software roles, and others

As the AI arms race heats up, Apple is facing a tough battle to retain its top AI talent. In just the past month, four senior AI researchers have jumped ship to Meta, forcing Apple to increase compensation for engineers in its Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group, Bloomberg reports.

Despite launching Apple Intelligence in 2024, the company’s AI efforts have been sluggish. Siri’s major revamp remains delayed, and Apple’s AI search ambitions are still in early development. However, Apple is aggressively hiring across machine learning and AI roles, offering lucrative pay packages and perks like stock grants, product discounts, and flexible working conditions.

While Apple doesn’t publicly disclose salaries, a report by Business Insider shared filings for international hires. The filings, as per the report, reveal that AI and engineering roles are among the best-paid. For example, a Machine Learning Engineer can earn up to $312,200 in base pay, while Human Interface Designers top out at $468,500. Software Development Engineers, meanwhile, can pocket up to $378,700 annually.

Here’s a snapshot of Apple’s salary ranges across various roles (base pay only, excluding stock grants and bonuses):

Apple’s salaries are competitive, but Meta’s aggressive poaching spree highlights a broader “talent war” in AI, where Big Tech giants are racing not just for products, but for people.