Which AI labs pay the most for engineers? Disclosed base pay, October 2026 (workatailab.com)

In October 2026, Anthropic emerged as the leader in disclosed base salaries for engineering roles among AI labs, with a median salary of $402,500 across 154 positions. This figure highlights a growing competition in salaries within the AI/ML sector, particularly among frontier and infrastructure companies, with seven of the top ten labs falling into these categories. Notably, the total number of open engineering roles tracked this month was 6,801, with 3,326 having usable salary ranges, emphasizing the active recruitment landscape in the AI industry. The significance of this data lies in its implications for talent attraction and retention within the AI field. The high and varied salary ranges, particularly at top labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, signal to potential hires the lucrative opportunities available, though it's crucial for candidates to consider these figures as starting points, as they exclude equity and bonuses. Furthermore, the varying median salaries across different lab types—frontier labs offering an average of $330,000 while applied companies sit at $270,000—reflect the shifting dynamics in AI focus areas and the valuation of engineering talent in driving innovation.