OpenAI leads with a +38% salary premium, with its top role (AI Research Scientist) reaching $290,000. The average premium across all 14 tracked AI employers is +27%.
AI Employer Salary Rankings (14 Companies, 2026)
Source: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, and 50+ job platforms. Cost-of-living adjusted via BEA Regional Price Parities.
#
Company
Roles
Avg Premium
Top Role
Top Salary
1
OpenAI
5
+38%
AI Research Scientist
$290,000
2
Anthropic
4
+35%
AI Research Scientist
$276,000
3
Netflix
1
+35%
Data Scientist
$175,500
4
Meta FAIR
1
+35%
AI Research Scientist
$270,000
5
Google DeepMind
4
+33%
AI Research Scientist
$280,000
6
Meta AI
2
+27%
AI Engineer
$218,750
7
Meta
2
+25%
AI Product Manager
$204,000
8
Google
2
+25%
AI Product Manager
$207,400
9
Microsoft Research
1
+25%
AI Research Scientist
$250,000
10
Apple
2
+22%
Machine Learning Engineer
$189,100
11
Redwood Research
1
+20%
AI Safety Engineer
$222,000
12
Amazon
2
+18%
AI Engineer
$201,250
13
Microsoft
2
+18%
AI Product Manager
$200,600
14
ARC
1
+15%
AI Safety Engineer
$212,750
Methodology
Salary estimates are aggregated from SEC proxy filings, Department of Labor H-1B LCA disclosures, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), and compensation data from 50+ job posting platforms. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Data covers January 2022 through April 2026. Figures represent estimated annual base salary unless otherwise noted.
AI Engineer Salary by Company (2026)
Source: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, and 50+ job platforms. Cost-of-living adjusted via BEA Regional Price Parities.
#
Company
Est. Median
Premium
1
OpenAI
$245,000
+40%
2
Anthropic
$236,250
+35%
3
Google DeepMind
$227,500
+30%
4
Meta AI
$218,750
+25%
5
Amazon
$201,250
+15%
Methodology
Salary estimates are aggregated from SEC proxy filings, Department of Labor H-1B LCA disclosures, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), and compensation data from 50+ job posting platforms. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Data covers January 2022 through April 2026. Figures represent estimated annual base salary unless otherwise noted.
OpenAI has the highest average salary premium at +38% above national median, with its top-paying role (AI Research Scientist) reaching an estimated $290,000. Anthropic follows closely at +35%.
Pure AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic typically pay 30-45% above national median for core AI roles, while Big Tech companies (Amazon, Microsoft, Apple) offer 15-25% premiums. The gap is driven by intense competition for AI research and safety talent among smaller, well-funded labs.
OpenAI's estimated AI Engineer median salary is $245,000, reflecting a +40% premium over the national AI Engineer median of $175,000. This is base salary only and does not include equity, bonuses, or signing packages.
AI Safety Engineers and ML Engineers earn comparable base salaries at most companies. However, the supply of AI safety specialists is much smaller, which gives safety engineers stronger negotiating leverage. At companies like Anthropic where safety is a core focus, safety roles can command equal or higher premiums than general ML positions.
OpenAI has the highest average salary premium at +38% across 5 tracked AI roles. This premium reflects the intense competition for talent in the AI research and safety space, where a small number of companies compete for a limited pool of specialists.
Anthropic and OpenAI offer similar premium levels across AI roles. OpenAI tends to have slightly higher premiums for research-focused positions, while Anthropic is competitive on safety and alignment roles. Both companies pay 30-45% above national median for core AI engineering positions, making them among the highest-paying employers in the industry.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
AI Employer Salary Premium Data (2026). Orbyt. Retrieved April 2026, from https://www.orbytjobs.ai/salaries/companies