Apple’s salary structures for key engineering and AI roles have surfaced in public filings, revealing just how much the tech giant pays its top talent. As competition intensifies in the artificial intelligence space, Apple appears to be offering highly competitive pay to attract and retain talent across software, data, and design roles.
The data, reported by Business Insider, is based on international filings for foreign hires. While the numbers reflect base salaries and do not include stock grants or bonuses, they offer a clear picture of the company’s compensation strategy, especially amid recent exits to rival firms like Meta.
Software Engineers, Data Scientists and AI Roles at Apple: Salary Breakdown
Below are the base salary ranges (USD) Apple offers for some of its most in-demand roles:
Software Development Engineer (Applications): $132,267 – $378,700
Data Scientist: $105,550 – $322,400
Machine Learning Engineer: $143,100 – $312,200
Machine Learning Researcher: $114,100 – $312,200
Software Engineering Manager: $166,691 – $378,700
Human Interface Designer: $135,400 – $468,500
Hardware Systems Engineer: $125,495 – $378,700
AR/VR Software Development: $129,805 – $312,200
RF/Analog/Mixed Signal Engineer: $131,352 – $312,200
Design Verification Engineer: $103,164 – $312,200
These figures do not account for Apple’s additional compensation such as annual stock grants, bonuses, or employee discounts, all of which are common across senior technical roles.
Mobile Finder: iPhone 17 Air expected to debut in coming months
Why Apple’s AI team is under focus
The salary disclosures come amid heightened attention on Apple’s artificial intelligence unit. In recent weeks, four engineers from Apple’s Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group reportedly left for Meta, pushing Apple to raise salaries for top AI and machine learning talent.
Apple is currently hiring aggressively for roles in machine learning, AR/VR, software engineering, and data science, with the goal of expanding its capabilities in generative AI, on-device intelligence, and personalisation features across its devices.
While Meta and Google are also offering competitive packages, Apple’s filings show that it is matching, and in some cases, exceeding, market standards for roles central to its next wave of product development.
