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Google is paying software engineers up to $340,000 annually, reflecting the high demand for AI talent. Federal work visa data reveals competitive salaries across various roles, including research scientists and product managers.
Google software engineers can earn up to $340,000 annually as the tech giant competes aggressively for top talent amid the ongoing AI boom, according to new federal work-visa data analysed by Business Insider. The high demand for qualified personnel in artificial intelligence and related sectors is reflected in the search company's remuneration packages.
According to federal documents obtained by Business Insider, Google's highest-paying positions cover a variety of fields, with senior software engineers collecting up to $253,000 and research scientists making up to $303,000.
Technical program managers may make up to $270,000, while product managers can make up to $280,000. The numbers, which are taken from Labour Department visa applications for foreign workers, only reflect basic pay; they do not include incentives or equity compensation, which are customary for Google employees.
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Google's pay policy goes beyond standard software positions. Software developers may make between $150,000 and $282,000 at the company's Waymo autonomous car branch, while solutions consultants can make up to $282,000. Even entry-level jobs are well compensated; customer engineers often make between $85,000 and $228,000.
Positions in design and user experience also pay well; UX researchers may make up to $224,000, while UX designers can make up to $230,000. Data scientists may earn up to $260,000, while financial analysts can earn over $225,000.
A look at the salaries
- Software engineer: $109,180 to $340,000
- Software engineer (Waymo): $150,000 to $282,000
- Senior software engineer: $187,000 to $253,000
- Staff software engineer: $220,000 to $323,000
- Technical program manager: $116,000 to $270,000
- Program manager: $125,000 to $236,000
- Product manager: $136,000 to $280,000
- UX designer: $124,000 to $230,000
- UX researcher: $124,000 to $224,000
- Data scientist: $133,000 to $260,000
- Research scientist: $155,000 to $303,000
The company's generous packages reflect the broader tech industry's struggle to attract and retain talent as AI development accelerates.
The wage information coincides with Google's increased emphasis on performance-based pay. The company's yearly employee rating system was modified in April, and officials told employees that "high performance is more important than ever," according to a recent Business Insider story. This change is reminiscent of similar actions taken by Microsoft and Meta, two other corporate behemoths, to fire failing workers.