A single software engineer at Meta, hired on an H-1B visa, commanded a base salary of $450,000 in 2025, according to reports from Times of India and Business Insider. A $450,000 base salary for a software engineer and $650,000 for a vice president of AI demonstrate Meta's intense competition for top-tier global talent in critical areas like artificial intelligence and advanced data engineering roles.
However, Meta's H-1B visa program attracts a broad range of talent, but only a select few in highly specialized roles are commanding exceptionally high salaries. The majority of H-1B hires fill essential, competitively paid positions, creating a significant internal compensation disparity.
Meta appears to be strategically segmenting its H-1B compensation to attract elite, high-impact talent while still filling numerous standard engineering roles, indicating a targeted investment in critical areas like AI. This strategy establishes an internal talent hierarchy based on perceived strategic value.
The Broader Compensation Picture for H-1B Hires
Meta's H-1B visa program primarily targets software engineering roles, with most new hires receiving competitive but more standard compensation. In 2025, most new Meta hires on H-1B visas earned between $150,000 and $250,000 in base salary, according to Business Insider.
- About half of all positions hired through the H-1B visa program at Meta during the period went to software engineering roles, according to Business Insider.
- The majority of new Meta hires earned between $150,000 and $250,000 in base salary in 2025, according to Business Insider.
This suggests that while some roles command exceptional pay, the majority of Meta's H-1B recruitment focuses on a competitive, but more standard, salary range for core software engineering functions. This broad, yet segmented, approach to talent acquisition within its H-1B program allows Meta to fill numerous essential positions while reserving premium compensation for highly specialized roles.
