At the heart of Silicon Valley‘s ever-intensifying battle for artificial intelligence dominance, a quiet storm is brewing at Apple. While the tech giant continues to roll out sleek devices and services with signature polish, it is facing a more complex challenge behind the scenes that is retaining top AI talent.
In recent months, at least four of Apple’s senior AI researchers have reportedly defected to Meta, according to Bloomberg. The departures come despite the company ramping up pay within its Apple Foundation Models (AFM) group. At this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, senior vice president Craig Federighi acknowledged that the company’s AI assistant Siri still needed “more time” to evolve. Meanwhile, rivals are racing ahead with bolder product rollouts and flashier breakthroughs.
Still, Apple remains one of the most coveted workplaces in the tech industry. CEO Tim Cook, in a 2023 interview with pop star Dua Lipa said, “We hire from all walks of life,” he said, noting that Apple values creativity, curiosity, and collaboration. “Fundamentally, we all believe that one plus one equals three,” Cook added. “Your idea plus my idea is better than the individual ideas on their own.” And for many, the compensation does not hurt either.
While Apple keeps salary data under wraps, mandatory federal filings for foreign hires offer a glimpse into what the Cupertino-based company is paying for key roles, particularly in AI, engineering, and software development. These numbers exclude lucrative bonuses like stock grants and perks, but they still paint a compelling picture.
So how much can you expect to earn at Apple in 2025? Here is the breakdown as reported by Business Insider.
Engineering roles
CPU Implementation Engineering: $103,164 to $264,200
Design for Test Engineer: $131,352 to $293,800
Design Verification: $103,164 to $312,200
Electronics Engineer: $108,160 to $264,200
Engineering Project/Program Manager: $105,550 to $301,400
FE Engineering: $125,694 to $312,200
Hardware Development: $124,942 to $293,800
Hardware Systems Engineering: $125,495 to $378,700
Manufacturing Quality: $142,293 to $227,600
Module Design Engineer: $108,796 to $329,600
Physical Design Engineer: $101,982 to $341,200
Production Services Engineer: $122,800 to $293,800
Reliability Engineering: $128,300 to $264,200
RF/Analog/Mixed Signal Engineering: $131,352 to $312,200
Silicon Validation Engineering: $103,164 to $329,600
System Product Design Engineer: $103,164 to $312,200
Tools and Automation Engineer: $105,602 to $293,800
Wireless Systems Engineering: $128,300 to $312,200
Wireless Systems Validation Engineer: $126,672 to $312,200
Data roles
Data Engineer: $105,602 to $234,700
Data Scientist: $105,550 to $322,400
AI roles
Machine Learning: $126,880 to $329,600
Machine Learning Engineer: $143,100 to $312,200
Machine Learning Research: $114,100 to $312,200
Software development roles
AR/VR Software Development: $129,805 to $312,200
Human Interface Designer: $135,400 to $468,500
Software Developer: $132,267 to $264,200
Software Development Engineer: $132,267 to $378,700
Software Development Engineer – Applications: $132,267 to $378,700
Software Development Engineer – Data: $135,400 to $329,600
Software Development Engineer – Firmware: $126,880 to $312,200
Software Development Engineer – Test: $94,640 to $329,600
Software Development Engineering Manager: $166,691 to $378,700
Software Engineering Applications: $103,164 to $378,700
Software Engineering Applications Manager: $171,400 to $378,700
Software Engineering Systems: $126,880 to $329,600
Other types of roles
Professional Services Consultant: $100,200 to $258,700
Strategic Sourcing Manager: $110,600 to $286,400
Supply Demand Planning: $100,200 to $209,900
