Waymo AI and machine learning salaries

Across 65 open AI and machine learning postings at Waymo that state a range, the middle half pays $195k–$281k a year, with a median of $238k. The lowest posted floor is $163k and the highest ceiling $378k. This is base pay as posted by Waymo, converted to US dollars; equity and bonus are not included.

From pay ranges in open postingsRebuilt 14 Oct 2026

The range

Lowest floor$163k
25th percentile$195k
Median$238k
75th percentile$281k
Highest ceiling$378k

Postings by the midpoint of the posted range, in steps of $20k

Middle halfMedian bucket

Median by team at Waymo

Engineering leadership$292k
Data science$264k
AI and machine learning$238k
Hardware engineering$233k
Mobile engineering$232k
Product management$228k
Industrial engineering$222k

Postings with a stated range: Engineering leadership 6 · Data science 10 · Backend engineering 58 · AI and machine learning 65 · Hardware engineering 8 · Mobile engineering 5 · Product management 14 · Industrial engineering 11

AI and machine learning pay by level

LevelPostingsMedianMiddle half
Intern6$140k$140k–$140k
Junior3$195k$194k–$217k
Mid-level6$195k$195k–$195k
Senior21$238k$238k–$238k
Staff and principal18$281k$273k–$281k
Lead10$281k$270k–$281k

Best-paid open AI and machine learning roles

$298k–$378kMar 13
$298k–$368kSep 1
$298k–$368kJun 22
$281k–$356kDec 5
Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Data Flywheel
San Francisco · Mountain ViewStaff and principal
$250k–$335kFeb 11
Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Infrastructure
San Francisco · Mountain ViewStaff and principal
$251k–$310kDec 8

71 AI and machine learning roles open at Waymo now

65 of them show the pay range on the posting.

Questions

How much does Waymo pay for AI and machine learning roles?

The median of the 65 posted ranges is $238k a year; the middle half sits between $195k and $281k.

Is this base salary or total compensation?

Base salary as written in the posting. Many US employers post ranges under state pay transparency laws (California, New York, Washington, Colorado and others); equity and bonus are not part of these figures.

Why posted ranges and not self-reported salaries?

A posted range is what the employer commits to for a role it has open today. It is fresher than a survey and cannot be inflated by respondents. Each posting counts once, at the midpoint of its range.

Which level pays most?

Staff and principal roles have the highest median here: $281k a year across 18 postings.

Source: the pay ranges of 65 open postings on Waymo's careers board; the midpoint of each rangeUpdated 14 Oct 2026MethodologyJSONCC BY-SA 4.0