Revealed: How much Google pays its software engineers, scientists, managers? Check 2025 salary breakdown

Google, known for offering some of the highest pay packages in Silicon Valley, is making changes to its compensation strategy. In recent months, the company has adjusted how it pays its employees, focusing more on performance. This move comes as part of a growing trend in the tech industry, with other major firms like Meta and Microsoft doing the same. While Google usually keeps its salary information private, official visa filings from the first quarter of 2025 give us a clear picture of what employees in various roles are earning. These figures represent base salaries only and do not include bonuses or stock options, which can significantly increase total pay.

Engineers Lead the Salary Chart
Unsurprisingly, software engineers are among the highest-paid employees at Google, especially with the growing demand for AI talent. Some software developers are earning as much as $340,000 a year. Even engineers working at Waymo, Google’s self-driving car division, are earning impressive amounts.

Here are some examples of current salary ranges:

Software & Engineering Roles – Highest Paid Category

Software Engineer:
USD 109,180 to USD 340,000 (Rs 90.6 lakh to Rs 2.82 crore)

Waymo Software Engineer:
USD 150,000 to USD 282,000 (Rs 1.24 crore to Rs 2.34 crore)

Software Engineer Manager:
USD 199,000 to USD 316,000 (Rs 1.65 crore to Rs 2.62 crore)

Site Reliability Engineer:
USD 133,000 to USD 258,000 (Rs 1.1 crore to Rs 2.14 crore)

Staff Software Engineer:
USD 220,000 to USD 323,000 (Rs 1.82 crore to Rs 2.68 crore)

Application Engineer:
USD 138,000 to USD 199,000 (Rs 1.14 crore to Rs 1.65 crore)

Network Engineer:
USD 108,000 to USD 195,000 (Rs 89.6 lakh to Rs 1.61 crore)

Security Engineer:
USD 97,000 to USD 233,000 (Rs 80.5 lakh to Rs 1.93 crore)

Hardware Engineer:
USD 130,000 to USD 284,000 (Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 2.36 crore)

Data, Research & Scientist Roles
Data Scientist:
USD 133,000 to USD 260,000 (Rs 1.1 crore to Rs 2.15 crore)

Research Scientist:
USD 155,000 to USD 303,000 (Rs 1.28 crore to Rs 2.51 crore)

Search Quality Analyst:
USD 120,000 to USD 235,000 (Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.95 crore)

Product & Programme Management
Product Manager:
USD 136,000 to USD 280,000 (Rs 1.13 crore to Rs 2.32 crore)

Program Manager:
USD 125,000 to USD 236,000 (Rs 1.03 crore to Rs 1.96 crore)

Technical Program Manager:
USD 116,000 to USD 270,000 (Rs 96.3 lakh to Rs 2.24 crore)

Consultants & Business Roles
Solutions Consultant:
USD 100,000 to USD 282,000 (Rs 83 lakh to Rs 2.34 crore)

Technical Solutions Consultant:
USD 110,000 to USD 253,000 (Rs 91.3 lakh to Rs 2.1 crore)

Business Systems Analyst:
USD 141,000 to USD 201,885 (Rs 1.17 crore to Rs 1.67 crore)

Financial Analyst:
USD 102,000 to USD 225,230 (Rs 84.6 lakh to Rs 1.87 crore)

Account Manager:
USD 85,500 to USD 166,000 (Rs 70.9 lakh to Rs 1.38 crore)

Design & User Experience
UX Designer:
USD 124,000 to USD 230,000 (Rs 1.03 crore to Rs 1.91 crore)

UX Researcher:
USD 124,000 to USD 224,000 (Rs 1.03 crore to Rs 1.86 crore)

Despite these high base salaries, a leaked spreadsheet from 2023 revealed that many Google employees still felt underpaid—even when equity and bonuses were included. This shows that in today’s fast-paced tech world, even top pay doesn’t always equal employee satisfaction, especially during a time of increased performance pressure and AI-driven restructuring.