Top 40 Highest-Paying Companies in 2025

Verified Salary Data for Tech Professionals

January 2026 | Data from Levels.fyi & U.S. Department of Labor H-1B Filings

Executive Summary

Quantitative trading firms dominate the top of the compensation leaderboard in 2025. Hudson River Trading leads with entry-level total compensation of $400,000, followed closely by D.E. Shaw ($355,000) and Jane Street ($350,000). These firms offer all-cash compensation with substantial bonuses, unlike Big Tech companies that rely heavily on equity.

AI-focused companies have surged in compensation. OpenAI now offers $245,000+ for entry-level engineers, rivaling established tech giants. The AI boom has also lifted compensation at NVIDIA, Databricks, and other companies building AI infrastructure.

Key 2025 Trends: Entry-level median TC for software engineers reached $155,000 (+1.64% YoY). Staff-level engineers saw the largest gains at +7.52% YoY. Return-to-office mandates have increased, but compensation remains competitive for top talent.

Complete Rankings

Top 10: The $250K+ Club

Ranks 11-20: The $220K+ Tier

Ranks 21-30: Big Tech & Established Players

Ranks 31-40: Reliable Tech Giants

Key Insights

1. Quant Firms Pay 2x Big Tech

Entry-level at Hudson River Trading ($400K) is more than double Google ($188K) or Apple ($172K). The tradeoff: quant firms have notoriously demanding interviews and high-pressure work environments.

2. AI is the New Gold Rush

OpenAI ($245K entry) and Databricks ($240K entry) now compete with established tech giants. NVIDIA's AI-driven growth has pushed their compensation to $220K+ for new grads.

3. Fintech Leads Startup Compensation

Ramp ($260K), Plaid ($231K), Stripe ($220K), and Affirm ($225K) offer packages competitive with Big Tech while providing startup equity upside.

4. FAANG Remains Strong

Meta offers the highest senior-level compensation ($480K+) among Big Tech. Netflix is known for paying "top of market" with mostly cash compensation.

5. Stock vs. Cash Matters

Quant firms pay mostly cash + bonus. Big Tech pays 40-60% in RSUs. At volatile companies, cash-heavy compensation may be more valuable.

Methodology

Data Sources

• Levels.fyi Top Paying Companies Leaderboard (December 2025) — 245,000+ verified salary submissions from tech professionals
• U.S. Department of Labor H-1B visa filings (2024-2025) — Official base salary data from employer filings
• Levels.fyi 2025 End of Year Pay Report — Market trends and year-over-year analysis

Definitions

• Total Compensation (TC) = Base Salary + Stock Grants (RSUs) + Bonuses
• Entry Level = 0-2 years experience (typically Levels I-II)
• Senior Level = 5+ years experience (typically Level III+)

Note: Compensation varies by location, team, interview performance, and competing offers. These figures represent median or typical ranges for software engineering roles in the United States.