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AI & Autonomy salaries in Los Angeles

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

186 openings with posted pay · Updated Nov 5, 2026

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AI & Autonomy · Los Angeles

186 matching openings with posted pay
1
Senior Engineering Manager, Machine Learning

Hadrian · Los Angeles, CA · Manager

$299k–$359k / year
2$220k–$350k / year
3
Head of Guidance, Navigation, and Control

Fortastra · Torrance, CA · Director

$300k–$345k / year
4
Staff Robotics Software Engineer - Mission Autonomy

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA · Staff / Principal

$260k–$345k / year
5
Principal Autonomy Software Engineer

CHAOS Industries · El Segundo, CA · Staff / Principal

$246k–$339k / year
6
Principal Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) Engineer

CHAOS Industries · El Segundo, CA · Staff / Principal

$210k–$338k / year
7
Staff Robotics Engineer - Surface Dominance

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA · Staff / Principal

$253k–$336k / year
8
Chief Engineer, Autonomous Flight

Anduril Industries · Costa Mesa, CA · Director

$220k–$330k / year

Median base salary

$185k

186 openings with posted pay

Typical range

$160k–$222k

25th to 75th percentile

Across all 26,589 openings with posted pay, the median is $175k. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

AI & Autonomy by sector

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI Research262 openings
Typical range $273k–$413k
$300k
AI App218 openings
Typical range $200k–$300k
$250k
Typical range $197k–$275k
$236k
Transportation225 openings
Typical range $177k–$270k
$228k
Robotics100 openings
Typical range $170k–$265k
$225k
Defense240 openings
Typical range $173k–$250k
$213k
Aerospace178 openings
Typical range $160k–$215k
$179k

AI & Autonomy by location

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

NYC207 openings
Typical range $228k–$300k
$275k
SF Bay Area991 openings
Typical range $205k–$300k
$250k
Remote195 openings
Typical range $199k–$281k
$238k
Boston71 openings
Typical range $200k–$273k
$233k
Washington, D.C.88 openings
Typical range $195k–$275k
$229k
Seattle108 openings
Typical range $184k–$265k
$229k
Canada55 openings
Typical range $200k–$283k
$228k
Los Angeles186 openings
Typical range $160k–$222k
$185k

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 57% 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 $175k per year, across 26,589 live openings at 531 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $135k and $225k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $234k median, followed by Software & Data ($215k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($202k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Aaru tops the list with a $353k median posted base salary, ahead of Anthropic ($345k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($330k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 57% 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 26,589 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.