Salaries

What companies building the future pay, straight from their own job postings.

22,344 openings with posted pay · 511 companies · Updated Oct 7, 2026

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Sorted by top of posted range

Aaru: median base salary $353k · Typical range $263k–$400k · 19 openings with pay.

aaru

19 matching openings with posted pay
1
Data Engineer, Infrastructure

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
2
Researcher, Evaluation

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
3
Software Engineer, Platform

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
4
Software Engineer, Simulation

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
5
Software Engineer, Product

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
6
Researcher, Prediction

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
7
Researcher, Population Simulation

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$200k–$600k / year
8
Engineering Manager, Platform

Aaru · New York, NY · Mid-Level

$280k–$425k / year

Median base salary

$177k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$133k–$226k

25th to 75th percentile

22,344 openings with pay data across 511 companies · 50% of 44,454 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
224
$50k–$100k
2,637
$100k–$150k
4,447
$150k–$200k
6,435
$200k–$250k
4,674
$250k–$300k
2,218
$300k–$400k
1,364
$400k+
345

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,192 openings
Typical range $183k–$280k
$230k
Software & Data5,250 openings
Typical range $165k–$254k
$208k
Typical range $160k–$253k
$203k
Typical range $160k–$230k
$193k
Marketing & Design750 openings
Typical range $150k–$219k
$180k
Typical range $130k–$236k
$178k
Electrical & Firmware1,701 openings
Typical range $138k–$216k
$175k
Typical range $127k–$228k
$168k
Typical range $123k–$183k
$155k
Typical range $113k–$185k
$150k
Typical range $99k–$177k
$143k
Typical range $99k–$170k
$136k
Typical range $75k–$148k
$108k

By experience level

Intern740 openings
Typical range $60k–$95k
$71k
Entry-Level2,001 openings
Typical range $72k–$160k
$109k
Mid-Level6,208 openings
Typical range $116k–$195k
$150k
Senior8,734 openings
Typical range $160k–$230k
$193k
Staff / Principal1,869 openings
Typical range $193k–$270k
$228k
Manager1,817 openings
Typical range $148k–$235k
$185k
Director898 openings
Typical range $215k–$294k
$248k
Executive77 openings
Typical range $265k–$317k
$300k

By funding stage

Seed525 openings
Typical range $123k–$188k
$157k
Series A1,335 openings
Typical range $125k–$200k
$163k
Series B1,473 openings
Typical range $130k–$223k
$175k
Series C+14,333 openings
Typical range $143k–$235k
$185k
Public4,639 openings
Typical range $115k–$220k
$165k

By sector

AI Research1,746 openings
Typical range $215k–$351k
$280k
Typical range $175k–$261k
$218k
AI App3,137 openings
Typical range $170k–$260k
$215k
Fintech843 openings
Typical range $140k–$245k
$191k
Robotics611 openings
Typical range $128k–$210k
$175k
Public Services134 openings
Typical range $140k–$225k
$172k
Defense3,444 openings
Typical range $143k–$208k
$170k
Typical range $135k–$215k
$170k
Bio & Health487 openings
Typical range $125k–$220k
$168k
Supply Chain249 openings
Typical range $112k–$207k
$160k
Energy & Climate1,583 openings
Typical range $120k–$188k
$157k
Agriculture158 openings
Typical range $115k–$168k
$156k
Transportation1,638 openings
Typical range $95k–$215k
$153k
Aerospace4,653 openings
Typical range $108k–$180k
$145k
Manufacturing766 openings
Typical range $93k–$175k
$135k
Education41 openings
Typical range $78k–$174k
$120k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic362 roles$360k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab34 roles$330k
4OpenAI661 roles$308k
5Normal Computing17 roles$300k
6Goodfire12 roles$300k
7World Labs11 roles$288k
8Periodic Labs23 roles$288k
9MatX44 roles$288k
10Wispr Flow30 roles$285k
11Wayve49 roles$285k
12Lambda82 roles$281k
13Luma AI12 roles$276k
14Oxide12 roles$275k
15Generalist AI10 roles$275k

Methodology

All figures come from salary ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled from their applicant tracking systems hourly. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

Pay in other currencies is converted at fixed recent exchange rates. Hourly, weekly, and monthly pay is annualized. Everything is base salary only. Equity and bonus are excluded because postings rarely quantify them.

Stats are medians and quartiles of each posting's range midpoint, weighted by open roles. Groups with fewer than 30 openings (8 for a single company) are not shown.

Numbers reflect currently open roles, not historical offers. About 50% of tracked openings post pay. US pay-transparency laws drive most disclosure, so coverage skews to US roles. Explore hiring patterns in the hiring report.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary at companies building the future?
The median posted base salary is $177k per year, across 22,344 live openings at 511 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $133k and $226k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $230k median, followed by Software & Data ($208k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($203k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Anthropic tops the list with a $360k median posted base salary, ahead of Aaru ($353k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($330k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 50% of the openings BuildList tracks post a pay range. Disclosure is highest at US companies covered by pay-transparency laws, so coverage skews to US roles.
Where does this salary data come from?
From the pay ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled hourly from their applicant tracking systems and normalized to annual base salary. Equity and bonus are excluded. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

These numbers come from 22,344 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.