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Meta salaries revealed: Here's how much social media giant pays top engineers and AI experts
Most employees hired by Meta earned base salaries between $150,000 and $250,000 (approximately ₹1.3 crore to ₹2.3 crore).
A new report has revealed how much Meta is paying its employees, and the numbers are striking, especially for roles in artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering.
According to a report by Business Insider, Meta offered base salaries of up to $450,000 (around ₹4.18 crore) to software engineers in 2025. The data comes from the outlet’s analysis of over 5,800 H-1B and other work visa filings, which give a detailed look at what the company pays across roles. The figures include jobs at Meta and its subsidiaries, like WhatsApp.
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Here's what Meta is paying across key roles
Most employees hired by Meta reportedly earned base salaries between $150,000 and $250,000 (approximately ₹1.3 crore to ₹2.3 crore). However, pay goes much higher for specialised roles. For example, a research engineer can earn up to $400,000 (around ₹3.7 crore), while product managers can make as much as $348,000 ( ₹3.2 crore). At the top level, a vice president of AI earns a base salary of $650,000 (approximately ₹6 crore).
AI and machine learning jobs are among the highest-paying, according ot Buisness Insider. AI research scientists earn between $163,800 ( ₹1.5 crore) and $328,000 ( ₹3 crore), while machine learning engineers can earn up to about $250,000 (around ₹2.3 crore). Software engineers working in machine learning can make close to $300,000 (approximately ₹2.7 crore).
Other engineering roles also pay well. Overall, software engineers at Meta reportedly earn between $124,000 (around ₹1.1 crore) and $450,000 ( ₹4.1 crore). Senior engineers and managers often cross $300,000 (approximately ₹2.7 crore). In data-related roles, data scientists can earn up to $295,703 (around ₹2.7 crore), while senior data and analytics managers make even more.
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Product and design roles are also well paid. Product managers earn between $165,000 (around ₹1.5 crore) and $348,000 ( ₹3.2 crore), while product designers and user experience (UX) researchers often earn over $200,000 (around ₹1.8 crore).
Notably, these numbers only include base salary. They do not include bonuses, stock options, or other benefits, which can significantly increase total pay. In some cases, top AI researchers are said to receive total compensation packages worth over $100 million.
According to the outlet, Meta had nearly 78,865 employees at the end of 2025. The high salaries seemingly show how strongly the company is investing in AI talent as competition in the tech industry continues to grow.
