Meta Boosts AI Salaries As Talent Competition Heats Up

(RTTNews) - Meta Platforms is stepping up its game by offering some of the best salaries around for AI experts, senior engineers, and product leaders. This comes from looking over more than 5,800 federal visa applications submitted in 2025.

The data reveals that most new hires are seeing base salaries between $150,000 and $250,000, but for those in highly specialized roles, the pay can be much higher. Software engineers' salaries range from $124,000 to $450,000, while AI research scientists can expect between $163,800 and $328,000.

Machine learning engineers get offers between $165,000 and $250,602, and software engineers focusing on machine learning can earn up to $293,118 as their base pay.

For upper management, Meta has revealed a $650,000 base salary for a vice president of engineering with an AI focus. Other reports suggest that top AI researchers might take home more than $100 million in total compensation when stock awards and incentives are taken into account.

These salary figures also highlight the growing competition for skilled talent, especially after changes in U.S. visa rules led to fewer filings toward the end of 2025.

Meta wrapped up the year with 78,865 employees and is still actively hiring in areas like AI, infrastructure, and product development, even as they're making cuts in some divisions.