Which companies pay their software engineers the most? That’s a constant focus for many tech professionals who build software. Fortunately, some new data gives us crucial insights into which firms (and organizations) are shelling out top dollar for those with coding prowess.
Levels.fyi crowdsources compensation information, including salary, stock, and bonuses. Here’s the website’s latest breakdown of the top-paying companies for software engineers of all rankings:
Yes, this list is dominated by AI and financial firms, with a few tech giants mixed in there. It’s unsurprising that OpenAI tops the rankings. The startup behind the ultra-popular ChatGPT chatbot is a close partner of Microsoft in the race of commercialize AI, and its large language models (LLMs) require very highly specialized talent to build and operate. Given how every deep-pocketed company seems to be pursuing AI talent right now, those kinds of specialists only come at a premium.
Just for perspective, keep in mind that the average tech salary stood at $111,193 in 2023, according to Dice’s latest Tech Salary Report (down slightly from $111,348 in 2022). Software developers/engineers earned a touch more on average, with their average salaries hitting $123,067 (up year-over-year by 6.5 percent).
This list is also an important reminder that tech pros of all specialties can often find extremely lucrative opportunities outside of traditional tech. Finance and consulting firms, for example, are more than happy to pay substantial sums to those who can analyze data, build out apps, and maintain tech stacks; there are also great opportunities in defense, manufacturing, and other verticals. Whatever your interests, keeping your tech skills continually updated is critical to unlocking the best opportunities out there.