How much salary Apple pays its employees working in various roles like AI, software development, machine learning, and others?

Apple has come to a point where it has to retain its top AI talent somehow or the other.

Written by: Tahir Qureshi Edited by: Tahir Qureshi

Updated: August 4, 2025, 9:48 PM IST

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(Image: www.macrumors.com)

New Delhi: A few days back, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the company will now focus a lot more on artificial intelligence (AI) as he termed the technology a ‘revolution’. He said that artificial intelligence is greater than the internet or smartphones.

Why is Tim Cook concerned about Apple’s AI reputation?

He was speaking at a rare all-hands meeting at Apple’s Cupertino campus following the company’s latest earnings report, where he emphasised that Apple must act swiftly to move ahead of other players in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) as he laid out a determined roadmap that places AI at the heart of Apple’s future.

What is the reason behind Apple losing its top AI talent?

Now, as the rivalry and competition rev up, Apple has come to a point where it has to retain its top AI talent somehow or the other. Four of Apple’s senior AI researchers have left the company and joined Meta in just the past month. This forced the company to hike the remuneration for Apple engineers in its Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group, reports Bloomberg.

What is Apple offering recruits?

Apple launched Apple Intelligence in 2024, yet its AI efforts have been comparatively slow. Siri is still waiting for the major revamp, 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.

Take a look at Apple’s salary ranges across various roles (base pay only, excluding stock grants and bonuses):

Salary Range                                                                             (USD)

Machine Learning Engineer                                        $143,100 – $312,200

Machine Learning Researcher                                    $114,100 – $312,200

Data Scientist                                                                  $105,550 – $322,400

Software Development Engineer (Applications)     $132,267 – $378,700

Human Interface Designer                                           $135,400 – $468,500

Hardware Systems Engineer                                        $125,495 – $378,700

AR/VR Software Development                                    $129,805 – $312,200

Software Engineering Manager                                   $166,691 – $378,700

RF/Analog/Mixed Signal Engineer                            $131,352 – $312,200

Design Verification Engineer                                      $103,164 – $312,200

As has been summed up by moneycontrol, “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”.