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Salaries

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

22,892 openings with posted pay · 514 companies · Updated Oct 11, 2026

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Sorted by top of posted range

Lambda: median base salary $287k · Typical range $197k–$331k · 88 openings with pay.

lambda

88 matching openings with posted pay
1
Data Center Standards Architect

Lambda · San Jose, CA · Staff / Principal

$443k–$590k / year
2
Senior Director, Product Management - Foundations

Lambda · Bellevue, WA · Mid-Level

$365k–$540k / year
3
Senior Director, Product Management - Platform

Lambda · Bellevue, WA · Mid-Level

$365k–$540k / year
4
Principal Product Manager - Nvidia Technology Partnerships

Lambda · Bellevue, WA · Staff / Principal

$338k–$500k / year
5
Senior Manager, Detection and Response

Lambda · Bellevue, WA · Manager

$324k–$480k / year
6
Staff Electrical Engineer - Medium Voltage

Lambda · San Francisco, CA · Staff / Principal

$349k–$465k / year
7
Staff Mechanical Engineer

Lambda · San Francisco, CA · Entry-Level

$349k–$465k / year
8
Staff Mechanical Engineer - Data Center Cooling

Lambda · San Francisco, CA · Staff / Principal

$349k–$465k / year

Median base salary

$177k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$133k–$226k

25th to 75th percentile

22,892 openings with pay data across 514 companies · 51% of 44,846 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
231
$50k–$100k
2,735
$100k–$150k
4,503
$150k–$200k
6,590
$200k–$250k
4,815
$250k–$300k
2,266
$300k–$400k
1,394
$400k+
358

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,233 openings
Typical range $183k–$277k
$230k
Software & Data5,263 openings
Typical range $165k–$254k
$209k
Infrastructure, IT, & Security1,821 openings
Typical range $160k–$251k
$202k
Product, Programs, & Systems1,932 openings
Typical range $160k–$230k
$193k
Marketing & Design760 openings
Typical range $150k–$220k
$180k
Business Development & Customer Ops2,376 openings
Typical range $129k–$240k
$180k
Electrical & Firmware1,713 openings
Typical range $139k–$218k
$175k
Finance, Legal, & Compliance1,153 openings
Typical range $128k–$228k
$170k
Mechanical & Physical Systems1,604 openings
Typical range $125k–$183k
$158k
Business & People Operations1,069 openings
Typical range $113k–$185k
$150k
Test, Quality, & Reliability1,709 openings
Typical range $97k–$176k
$140k
Supply Chain & Procurement777 openings
Typical range $100k–$170k
$137k
Manufacturing & Production1,482 openings
Typical range $73k–$149k
$105k

By experience level

Intern769 openings
Typical range $60k–$95k
$71k
Entry-Level2,048 openings
Typical range $70k–$155k
$108k
Mid-Level6,222 openings
Typical range $115k–$195k
$150k
Senior8,999 openings
Typical range $160k–$230k
$193k
Staff / Principal1,940 openings
Typical range $193k–$270k
$228k
Manager1,886 openings
Typical range $148k–$236k
$186k
Director952 openings
Typical range $215k–$294k
$248k
Executive76 openings
Typical range $260k–$317k
$294k

By funding stage

Seed526 openings
Typical range $123k–$188k
$157k
Series A1,343 openings
Typical range $126k–$200k
$163k
Series B1,463 openings
Typical range $130k–$220k
$175k
Series C+14,740 openings
Typical range $143k–$235k
$185k
Public4,770 openings
Typical range $114k–$220k
$165k

By sector

AI Research1,773 openings
Typical range $215k–$352k
$278k
Compute & Semiconductors2,789 openings
Typical range $177k–$262k
$219k
AI App3,250 openings
Typical range $170k–$260k
$214k
Fintech839 openings
Typical range $144k–$246k
$194k
Robotics622 openings
Typical range $128k–$210k
$175k
Public Services143 openings
Typical range $136k–$225k
$171k
Defense3,585 openings
Typical range $143k–$208k
$170k
Construction & Housing114 openings
Typical range $135k–$215k
$170k
Bio & Health484 openings
Typical range $128k–$219k
$168k
Supply Chain256 openings
Typical range $112k–$212k
$162k
Energy & Climate1,630 openings
Typical range $120k–$188k
$157k
Agriculture167 openings
Typical range $110k–$165k
$155k
Transportation1,696 openings
Typical range $90k–$213k
$150k
Aerospace4,744 openings
Typical range $108k–$180k
$145k
Manufacturing761 openings
Typical range $90k–$175k
$133k
Education39 openings
Typical range $80k–$175k
$123k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic374 roles$363k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab35 roles$330k
4Whop11 roles$325k
5OpenAI653 roles$308k
6Normal Computing17 roles$300k
7Goodfire12 roles$300k
8World Labs11 roles$288k
9MatX43 roles$288k
10Luma AI15 roles$288k
11Lambda88 roles$287k
12Wispr Flow30 roles$285k
13Wayve56 roles$284k
14Periodic Labs26 roles$281k
15Oxide15 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 51% 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 22,892 live openings at 514 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 ($209k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($202k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Anthropic tops the list with a $363k 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 51% 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 22,892 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.

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