Apple is renowned for building world-class innovative products. These products integrate hardware with intelligent software experiences using machine learning and artificial intelligence. The race to get a machine learning job at Apple is quite competitive, but with the right coaching and preparation, you can land your dream machine learning job at your dream company - Apple!
If you are preparing for a machine learning interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation ebook to get interview-ready! Also, read How to Get a Software Engineer Job at Apple and The Ultimate Guide to Crack Apple’s On-site Interview for specific insights and guidance on Apple tech interviews.
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In this article, we will discuss:
- Role of Machine Learning Engineers at Apple
- Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary
- Benefits of Working at Apple as a Machine Learning Engineer
- ML/AI Engineer Salaries: Apple vs. Other FAANG Companies
- Get Ready for Your Upcoming Machine Learning Engineer Interview
- FAQ on Apple Machine Learning Engineer Salary
Role of Machine Learning Engineers at Apple
Apple looks for exceptional, innovation-driven 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 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.
Machine Learning Engineer Salaries at Apple
Here are some statistics and numbers to give you an idea of the salaries earned by ML engineers at Apple:
- The average total compensation of an ICT2 Level (with less than one year of experience) Apple ML engineer is $131,000 per year.
- The average base compensation for a machine learning engineer at Apple is $115,000 per year.
- The average bonus salary offered is $3,000 per annum, while the average stock grant offered to machine learning engineers at Apple is $13,000.
- To put an Apple ML/AI Engineer’s salary into perspective, the median compensation package of an ML/AI 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.
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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 goes much higher, as do the associated benefits.
ML/AI Engineer Salaries: Apple 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 ML/AI engineer salaries at Apple and other FAANG companies. All figures reflect the average compensation for ML/AI engineers in the US.
Netflix, Amazon, and Google pay the highest salaries to ML/AI Engineers. However, it is important to note here that Netflix hires highly experienced (8+ years) ML/AI Engineers, and this reflects 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 Engineersto hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.
Get Ready for Your Upcoming Machine Learning Engineer Interview
The thing about popular jobs is that the best talent from all over the world is gunning to bag the position. With the right coaching and preparation, you can outshine them all. Register for Interview Kickstart’s FREE webinar to understand the best way to prepare for machine learning engineer interviews at the biggest companies.
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 on 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 $131,000, along with numerous perks and benefits.
2. How do Apple machine learning engineer salaries differ in Seattle compared to Los Angeles?
According to levels.fyi, the average annual salary of an ICT3 Apple machine learning engineer in Seattle is $239,000, while it is $175,000 in Los Angeles.
3. Do the machine learning engineers at Apple make more than those at Google?
Yes, on average, Apple machine learning engineers receive higher compensation than the ones at Google.