How Much Does Google Pay Their Software Engineers?

Many software engineering graduates are holding promising positions in tech giants straight out of university. Big tech companies like Google are the most sought-after workplaces on the ground. Needless to say, thinking of working for Google, people would come up with a rosy picture of six-figure remuneration. But how much does Google pay its staff is still a question that requires certain research to answer.

Average Salaries at Google

Median annual incomes for Google’s software engineering positions or relevant occupations depend on the level of seniority. At Google, there is a wide spectrum of levels where any engineers would land according to their competence and qualifications.

So, how much does Google pay, exactly?

According to Levels.fyi, the largest data platform that compares career levels, rookie software engineers start at Level 3 with a base salary of US$154,000.

Coupled with other perceived benefits like the annual stocks of US$38,000 worth and a US$9,000 bonus, the total earnings for an entry-level engineer (commonly called SWE II, short for Software Engineer II) would reach US$201,000.

Those in charge of more important posts (e.g., Principal Engineer) anonymously shared the average annual salary of more than one million US dollars. This salary includes US$351,000 as base pay, coupled with other benefits.

Levels.fyi also shows that the highest software engineering position at Google is Google Fellow (Level 10). Generally, the higher the level, the larger the income:

Level Name	Total	Base	Stock (/yr)	Bonus
L3 SWE II (Entry Level)	US$201k	US$154k	US$38k	US$9k
L4 SWE III	US$285k	US$178k	US$83k	US$24k
L5 Senior SWE	US$382k	US$207k	US$142k	US$32k
L6 Staff SWE	US$531k	US$246k	US$239k	US$45k
L7 Senior Staff SWE	US$751k	US$298k	US$374k	US$79k
L8 Principal Engineer	US$1.23m	US$351k	US$769k	US$108k
L9 Distinguished Engineer	US$2.6m	US$373k	US$2.07m	US$150k
L10 Google Fellow	–	–	–	–

Other third-party recruitment websites (e.g., Indeed or Glassdoor) state that the software engineer intern at Google may receive an average hourly rate of US$49.67. Also, the wage rates for other engineering-related positions vary. The median total income, for example, ranges from approximately US$207k for a Google Software Engineer in Test to US$275k for a Software Research Engineer.

The global market for software engineering is increasingly growing at a projected CAGR of 10.2% between 2024 and 2032. This can boost a higher demand for software engineers and higher salaries accordingly.

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How Much Does Google Pay, in Comparison With Tesla, Amazon, and Facebook?

Big names including Facebook, Amazon, and Tesla employ their own mechanisms to classify their software engineers by level. Accordingly, they have different salary ranges for employees.

Glancing at the following seniority spectrum of four tech giants, you can realize these companies have pretty similar mechanisms despite different nomenclature of the level. Facebook’s levels, for example, are called “E”, the abbreviation for Engineers.

Compared with Google, Facebook has 7 levels for software engineers. Normally, newcomers often start at E3 with a total wage package of US$194k involving base pay, the company’s stocks, and bonuses. Meanwhile, Tesla’s total annual salary begins from US$129k for P1 (Associate Engineers) to US$424 for P5 (Senior Staff Engineer). 

In Amazon, levels are denominated in the same way as those of Google. However, novice workers need to start at L4 for Software Development Engineer I with a higher wage package of US$182,000. The company’s system may go up to L10 for Distinguished Engineers. 

But still, salaries are always negotiable

Despite the mentioned salary range, outstanding candidates can negotiate with recruiters for higher incomes that are well-deserved for their proficiency at jobs. Except for the annual base salary, software engineers are granted shares and other non-cash perks which are variable based on the annual performance of those companies. 

Additionally, university graduates also raise a common question of whether a Level 3 at Google is equivalent to other entry levels at three given large corporations.

The job market has witnessed a fast labor turnover yearly. So if a Software Engineer I leaves Google and applies for Facebook, at which level is he considered? It is challenging to identify the precise answer. This depends on which positions he aims at and which experience or skills he owns. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that all entry levels at companies are the same. 

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Is It Difficult to Work at Google?

Now that you can answer the question “How much does Google pay their software engineers?”. How about all the difficulties you might face if you work for Google?

Well, it depends on different factors. All businesses, albeit small or large-scale, focus on seeking the most suitable applicants for given roles. They are not necessarily the most intelligent candidates. However, they need to possess professional knowledge, hands-on experience, and soft skills that match job requirements.

The same also applies to Google or any tech giants. Several former workers at Google confirmed the statement in a thread on Quora. They claimed that the recruitment process in the company was not actually tricky nor easy; and that hiring decisions are profoundly influenced by various factors.

“The hardest part is getting an interview”

Numerous individuals regard getting into Google as an extremely difficult mission. They have to enter a fierce competition to win a slot and some hiring questions are too puzzling to address. Indeed, Forbes indicated that getting an offer in Google is much harder than being admitted to Havard; and merely 1 out of 130 candidates gets the chance. With Google software engineer salary rates plus other appealing benefits, it is unsurprising to see why.

John L. Miller, a former recruiter at Google, said, “The hardest part is getting an interview”.

Accordingly, you may either participate in campus recruiting with the company if you are a university/college student; or you need to obtain a referral from those current employees at Google. The former is more feasible as not all people have a chance to get internal recommendations from Googlers.

However, as shared by Do Hong Nhung, aka Hana Lexis, a famous Vietnamese YouTuber who is working in the US, you may proactively contact hiring managers of Google through Linkedin should you have something to impress them. If you successfully attract their attention, you will seize an opportunity to be interviewed by senior engineers.

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Furthermore, the acceptance rate still depends on whether you understand Google’s “type” which is described as “generalist” by Stephen Kurtzman, a former Director of Engineering at Google.

Accordingly, recruiters do not intend to hire someone for a specific engineering position. Instead, they aim at interviewees with broad knowledge and the ability to solve problems. In other words, they prefer their new colleagues to think out of their box and outside their specialized domain to work out a wide range of solutions for posed issues.

So if you’re not employed by Google, it doesn’t you are a bad engineer, but rather you are inappropriate for the type of Google. 

When it comes to leading IT companies, giants (e.g., Google, Tesla, or Amazon) usually dominate global news coverage. Apart from massive benefits, cash compensation always appeals to software engineering undergraduates.

Thereby, Facebook or Google software engineer salary reaches six figures per year, especially various senior engineers can make millions of dollars. This turns tech giants into ideal workspace for university students.

Designveloper hopes that this article will help you know exactly how much does Google pay and the salary of the developer market.