Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary

Apple is renowned for building world-class innovative products. These products integrate hardware with intelligent software experiences using machine learning and artificial intelligence. With the launch of Apple’s flagship iPhone 16 series smartphones and its integration with Apple Intelligence, there is a lot of demand for skilled Machine Learning Engineers. With AI being a central part of Apple’s product stack, you will be right to assume that Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary would be lucrative enough to attract top talent.

If you are wondering about the salary of Machine Learning Engineer at Apple, this blog will give you the answer to that. We will also go over their perks and benefits and how you can negotiate for a higher salary.

Role of Machine Learning Engineers at Apple

Apple looks for exceptional and innovation-driven ML engineers. It seeks machine learning engineers who have experience building large-scale data systems to create strategic and long-term analytics platforms for the MLPT (ML Platform Technology) ecosystem. These systems should be able to capture data required to identify optimizations to improve the overall computing efficiency in ML engineer workloads.

The role of a Machine Learning Engineer at Apple includes:

• Developing machine learning infrastructure to be used by product teams for developing, evaluating, and deploying machine learning models.
• Researching and developing innovative ML algorithms for NLP, computer vision, audio, and related fields.
• Developing and maintaining a codebase by writing readable, modular, and well-tested code.
• Guiding product teams on best practices to be able to develop high-quality ML models and analyze failure cases.
• Providing feedback on tools and new features to ML platform teams.

You can check out this complete Apple Interview Guide for information on Apple software engineer interviews, recruitment process, preparation plan, Apple Machine Learning Engineer interview questions, and useful hacks from experts.

Average Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary

According to Glassdoor, the average Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary is in the range of $250,000 – $370,000, inclusive of stock and bonus. The average base compensation for a Machine Learning Engineer at Apple is $193K a year. In addition to the base salary, the average additional compensation is $107K a year which includes cash bonus and stock.

While this is the average salary, Apple has salary levels depending on the experience. Apple Machine Learning Engineer starts from the level ICT2 and has the highest salary at the ICT5 level. Here is a complete breakdown of the Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary by different levels.

• At the lowest ICT2 level, which is for entry-level, junior engineers, the Machine Learning salary is $203,000 with a base salary of $133,000. The total salary also includes stock of 56,400$ and a bonus of $13,800.
• At the ICT3 level, Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary is $249,000 which includes stock of $74,000 and a bonus of $7,300.
• At the ICT4 level, the salary of Machine Learning Engineer is $394,000 which is significantly higher than the earlier level and this level is for senior engineers. This includes a base component of $213,000 and the rest includes stock and bonus.
• At the highest ICT5 level, there is a huge jump to $504,000. However, this includes a $220,000 stock bonus which is almost as much as the base salary of $247,000.

To put an Apple Machine Learning Engineer’s salary into perspective, the median compensation package of an Machine Learning Engineer by FAANG+ companies in the U.S. is $244,000. The average base salary of an ML/AI engineer is $146,000, the average stock grant offered is $54,000, and the average bonus is $44,000.

Benefits of Working at Apple as a Machine Learning Engineer

Here are some benefits offered to Apple Machine Learning Engineers in addition to the compensation:

• Insurance, Health, and Wellness
• Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
• Custom workstation
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Free dinner 5 days a week
• Gender-neutral bathrooms
• Gym/wellness reimbursement up to $30 per month
• Gym discount up to $9 per pay period for work gym
• Gym on site
• Health insurance – UHC or Aetna, with or without HSA
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Maternity leave ~ 16 weeks
• Onsite clinic
• PTO: Vacation/personal days ~ 12 days, 2-week company shutdown/year
• Paternity leave ~ 6 weeks
• Pet insurance
• Sick time ~ 12 days
• Vision insurance
• Transport allowance

Home and family:

• Adoption assistance
• Company phones
• Fertility assistance
• Immigration assistance
• Military leave
• Onsite laundry
• Relocation bonus ~ $7000 depending on the offer
• Remote work

Financial and Retirement:

• 401k plan
• Employee stock purchase program
• Flexible spending account (FSA)
• Mega backdoor roth IRA

Perks and Discounts:

• Employee credit ~ $250 per year
• Employee discount ~ 25% off once per year
• Tuition reimbursement ~ Up to $5250 per year after 6 months

Note: The figures and benefits mentioned above are for entry-level and junior-level engineers. The Apple senior Machine Learning Engineer salary is much higher with even more associated benefits.

Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs. Other FAANG Companies

The salaries offered to machine learning engineers at Apple and other FAANG+ companies are very attractive, making the role very popular in the tech industry. Here’s a brief comparison of Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary with other FAANG companies. All figures reflect the average compensation for Machine Learning Engineer in the US.

Netflix, Amazon, and Google pay the highest salaries to Machine Learning Engineers. However, it is important to note here that Netflix hires highly experienced (8+ years) Machine Learning Engineers, and this is reflected in their compensation packages.

Tips to Negotiate Machine Learning Engineer Salary at Apple

Remember these key points to negotiate a salary package during your Apple machine learning engineer interview:

• You do not have to share the compensation you are currently receiving.
• You don’t necessarily have to share the compensation you are expecting.
• Building a good relationship with the hiring manager goes a long way in negotiating a good package.
• Do not insist on receiving written offers.
• Remember to ask for a relocation package if it applies in your case.
• There is a lot of publicly available compensation data. Compare the offer you have received before agreeing to anything.

Salary negotiation is a must-have skill. Read The Ultimate Guide to Salary Negotiation at FAANG for Software Engineers to hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.

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The Apple machine learning engineer interview process is similar to that of an Apple software engineer. To learn more about the interview process, from application to phone screen and technical screen rounds to onsite interviews, get advice from experts at Interview Kickstart today!

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FAQs: Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary

1. What is the average salary of an Apple machine learning engineer?

The average annual Apple machine learning engineer salary in the United States is in the range of $250,000 – $370,000 with a median salary of $300,000.

2. Is Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary higher than at Google?

Yes, on average, Apple machine learning engineers receive higher compensation than the ones at Google.

3. What factors affect the Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary?

Some of the main factors that affect Apple Machine Learning Engineer are experience, education, location, and specialized skills in areas like deep learning or natural language processing.

4. Is an Apple Machine Learning Engineer eligible for stock options?

Yes, stock options are one of the major components of the total Apple Machine Learning Engineer salary.

5. Are opportunities available for advancement within salary grade for an Apple machine learning engineer?

Yes, there is room for advancement through promotions, performance bonuses, and more stock options over time.