Just How Much is Meta Paying its AI Engineers and Researchers?

Meta is reportedly investing hundreds of millions to attract top AI professionals from its rivals. But what does the tech behemoth pay its broader workforce, including software engineers, product managers, and user experience researchers?

Recent federal filings offer a unique glimpse into Meta’s salary ranges during a fiercely competitive period in Silicon Valley’s talent market.

Eye-Watering Salaries for Key Roles
The data reveals that software engineers at Meta can earn up to $480,000, while machine learning roles command salaries as high as $440,000. Even product designers and researchers frequently exceed $200,000.

These figures are sourced from H-1B visa program filings, which companies must submit to the Labor Department when hiring foreign workers. Since tech companies typically keep compensation details under wraps, these mandated disclosures provide a rare look into actual pay scales. It’s important to note that these numbers reflect only annual base salaries, excluding significant additions like stock options, signing bonuses, and other perks that can often double or triple total compensation packages.

The Intense Battle for AI Talent
This compensation data emerges amidst a heated battle for AI talent across Silicon Valley. Meta is reportedly offering some AI researchers compensation packages worth up to $300 million over four years as it builds its new Superintelligence lab. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on these figures.

The hiring frenzy isn’t limited to tech giants. Thinking Machines Lab, a discreet AI startup founded by OpenAI’s former CTO, Mira Murati, is reportedly paying technical staff base salaries of up to $500,000 even before launching a product, as reported by Business Insider.

The competition has become personal. After Meta successfully recruited seven OpenAI researchers, including Trapit Bansal, a co-creator of OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer, Mark Chen, expressed in an internal memo that it felt like “someone has broken into our home.”

Detailed Salary Breakdowns by Role (Q1 2025 H-1B Filings)
Here’s a detailed breakdown of Meta’s salary ranges for key roles, based on H-1B filings from the first quarter of 2025:

Artificial Intelligence

The highest-paid research engineer in AI at Meta earns up to $440,000.

1. AI Research Scientist: $179,481 to $232,000
2. Artificial Intelligence Product Marketing Manager: $220,000
3. Machine Learning Engineer: $165,000 to $440,000
4. Machine Learning Infrastructure Engineer: $239,723
5. Machine Learning Research Scientist: $232,000
6. Research Engineer: $154,840 to $400,000
7. Senior Machine Learning Engineer: $232,017 to $232,266

Data

A data scientist at Meta can earn as much as $270,000.

1. Data Analyst: $168,000 to $204,000
2. Data Analytics Manager: $223,202
3. Data Engineer: $125,068 to $270,000
4. Data Engineering Manager: $224,028 to $275,282
5. Data Science Manager: $248,920 to $301,619
6. Database Engineer: $181,000 to $240,002
7. Data Science Director: $320,000
8. Data Scientist: $122,760 to $270,000
9. Senior Data Engineer: $189,066 to $209,720
10. Senior Data Scientist: $204,541 to $227,559
11. Senior Manager, Data & Analytics: $280,000

Engineering

Meta software engineers can take home up to $480,000 in base salary.

1. ASIC Engineer: $165,568 to $299,880
2. Business Engineer: $137,000 to $228,538
3. Design Engineer: $185,000 to $256,270
4. Electrical Engineer: $164,000 to $255,000
5. Embedded Software Engineer: $169,313 to $262,822
6. Engineering Director: $352,310 to $353,042
7. Engineering Manager: $246,536 to $288,767
8. Front End Engineer: $177,747 to $233,495
9. Hardware Engineer: $176,000 to $240,000
10. Network Engineer: $115,000 to $239,237
11. Quality Assurance Engineer: $189,213 to $244,000
12. Security Engineer: $145,000 to $258,524
13. Senior Software Engineer: $194,467 to $302,134
14. Software Engineer: $120,000 to $480,000
15. Software Engineering Manager: $219,978 to $328,000

Product and Program Management

A product manager at Meta is paid up to $314,159.

1. Privacy Program Manager: $181,139 to $234,461
2. Product Designer: $159,000 to $283,693
3. Product Design Director: $321,538
4. Product Design Manager: $267,540 to $279,594
5. Product Growth Analyst: $142,000 to $206,000
6. Product Management Director: $356,512
7. Product Manager: $161,606 to $314,159
8. Senior Product Designer: $199,932
9. Senior Product Manager: $224,323
10. Technical Program Manager: $164,131 to $274,596

Research
The highest-paid UX researcher can earn up to $350,000.

1. Applied Research Scientist: $214,032 to $232,000
2. Hardware Specialized Research Scientist: $214,311
3. Perception Research Scientist: $249,369
4. Research Scientist: $167,000 to $321,101
5. Research Scientist Manager: $258,524
6. Senior Research Scientist: $214,032
7. User Experience Researcher: $170,000 to $350,000
8. UX Research Scientist Manager: $302,134
9. UX Researcher: $195,000 to $292,160

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