BuildList

Salaries

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

20,145 openings with posted pay · 501 companies · Updated Sep 22, 2026

Browse jobs
On this page

Find high-paying roles

Sorted by top of posted range

Senior: median base salary $194k · Typical range $161k–$233k · 7,865 openings with pay.

Senior

7,869 matching openings with posted pay
1
Research Engineer, Chip Design RL (Reinforcement Learning)

Anthropic · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
2
Research Engineer, Computer Use

Anthropic · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
3
Research Engineer, Universes

Anthropic · Remote · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
4
Research Engineer, Machine Learning (RL Velocity)

Anthropic · Remote · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
5
Research Engineer, Code RL (Reinforcement Learning)

Anthropic · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
6
Research Engineer, RL Engineering

Anthropic · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
7
Research Engineer, Machine Learning (Reinforcement Learning)

Anthropic · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$500k–$850k / year
8
Research Engineer, Model Evaluations

Anthropic · Remote · Senior

$500k–$850k / year

Median base salary

$180k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$137k–$230k

25th to 75th percentile

20,145 openings with pay data across 501 companies · 47% of 43,207 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
195
$50k–$100k
2,123
$100k–$150k
3,984
$150k–$200k
5,769
$200k–$250k
4,397
$250k–$300k
2,052
$300k–$400k
1,285
$400k+
340

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,025 openings
Typical range $186k–$283k
$233k
Infrastructure, IT, & Security1,536 openings
Typical range $160k–$253k
$205k
Software & Data5,740 openings
Typical range $161k–$250k
$203k
Product, Programs, & Systems1,621 openings
Typical range $160k–$233k
$193k
Business Development & Customer Ops1,938 openings
Typical range $136k–$243k
$185k
Marketing & Design634 openings
Typical range $153k–$220k
$182k
Electrical & Firmware1,381 openings
Typical range $145k–$218k
$177k
Finance, Legal, & Compliance972 openings
Typical range $125k–$223k
$168k
Mechanical & Physical Systems1,350 openings
Typical range $125k–$185k
$155k
Business & People Operations843 openings
Typical range $113k–$183k
$148k
Test, Quality, & Reliability1,272 openings
Typical range $108k–$183k
$146k
Supply Chain & Procurement634 openings
Typical range $106k–$170k
$144k
Manufacturing & Production1,199 openings
Typical range $74k–$148k
$110k

By experience level

Intern512 openings
Typical range $60k–$92k
$71k
Entry-Level2,009 openings
Typical range $80k–$180k
$123k
Mid-Level5,931 openings
Typical range $120k–$200k
$155k
Senior7,865 openings
Typical range $161k–$233k
$194k
Staff / Principal1,527 openings
Typical range $195k–$275k
$231k
Manager1,483 openings
Typical range $150k–$236k
$188k
Director748 openings
Typical range $215k–$295k
$250k
Executive70 openings
Typical range $260k–$318k
$300k

By funding stage

Seed463 openings
Typical range $123k–$188k
$155k
Series A1,267 openings
Typical range $125k–$198k
$163k
Series B1,263 openings
Typical range $140k–$225k
$180k
Series C+12,987 openings
Typical range $144k–$237k
$188k
Public4,127 openings
Typical range $125k–$223k
$171k

By sector

AI Research1,624 openings
Typical range $214k–$353k
$279k
Compute & Semiconductors2,698 openings
Typical range $177k–$261k
$218k
AI App2,936 openings
Typical range $172k–$260k
$215k
Fintech704 openings
Typical range $146k–$249k
$198k
Robotics575 openings
Typical range $125k–$210k
$175k
Transportation1,196 openings
Typical range $120k–$228k
$175k
Public Services157 openings
Typical range $140k–$215k
$170k
Defense2,839 openings
Typical range $145k–$210k
$170k
Construction & Housing112 openings
Typical range $135k–$215k
$170k
Bio & Health439 openings
Typical range $123k–$216k
$165k
Agriculture163 openings
Typical range $115k–$170k
$165k
Energy & Climate1,470 openings
Typical range $120k–$189k
$156k
Supply Chain244 openings
Typical range $109k–$208k
$149k
Aerospace4,265 openings
Typical range $109k–$182k
$147k
Manufacturing682 openings
Typical range $101k–$183k
$140k
Education41 openings
Typical range $77k–$170k
$110k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic279 roles$363k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab27 roles$325k
4OpenAI663 roles$308k
5Periodic Labs9 roles$300k
6Normal Computing18 roles$300k
7Goodfire12 roles$300k
8Polymarket66 roles$290k
9Wayve70 roles$290k
10World Labs9 roles$288k
11Wispr Flow30 roles$285k
12Lambda86 roles$279k
13Oxide12 roles$275k
14Generalist AI12 roles$275k
15Gimlet Labs10 roles$270k

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 47% 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 $180k per year, across 20,145 live openings at 501 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $137k and $230k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $233k median, followed by Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($205k) and Software & Data ($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 $363k median posted base salary, ahead of Aaru ($353k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($325k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 47% 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 20,145 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.

Browse JobsGet Weekly Jobs