Tech Lead

💰 $165K–$217K salary range

Median: $176K  ·  Based on 825 public job postings  ·  Updated October 17, 2026

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Leading engineering teams at high-growth companies, this individual bridges deep technical expertise with strategic execution, ensuring the robust development and deployment of machine learning models and AI-powered products. Analysis of 107 recent job postings reveals a typical salary range of $170,000 to $253,000, with a median compensation of $210,000. Candidates who command top-tier compensation often demonstrate advanced proficiency in MLOps, distributed systems architecture for AI, and deep learning framework optimization (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow). Their leadership is critical for scaling AI solutions from research to production, driving innovation and product maturity within rapidly evolving environments.

📊 Salary breakdown

Tech Lead salary by location

• All locations: $176K median ($165K–$217K typical range)
• San Francisco: $220K median, $190K–$250K range (+25% vs. national)
• New York: $212K median, $186K–$251K range (+20% vs. national)
• Denver: $170K median, $163K–$198K range (-4% vs. national)
• Los Angeles: $186K median, $170K–$211K range (+5% vs. national)
• Miami: $178K median, $174K–$185K range (+1% vs. national)
• Dallas: $170K median, $128K–$170K range (-4% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• SABI: $350K median
• Cssmerge: $214K median
• Atoms: $214K median
• Zeta Global: $205K median
• Mercor: $170K median

New York

• Celonis: $200K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 72% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 57% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 39% of postings
• Parental leave: 22% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 10% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 3% of postings

Typical experience required: 6–8 years.

Engineering salaries by seniority

• Junior Software Engineer: $100K
• Software Engineer: $159K
• Hardware Engineer: $170K
• Tech Lead: $176K
• Engineering Manager: $180K
• Senior Hardware Engineer: $187K
• Senior Software Engineer: $188K
• Infrastructure Engineer: $189K
• Senior Infrastructure Engineer: $193K
• Senior Embedded Engineer: $195K
• Senior Platform Engineer: $200K
• Founding Engineer: $200K
• Platform Engineer: $205K
• ASIC / Chip Design Engineer: $215K
• Staff Software Engineer: $225K
• Data Infrastructure Engineer: $238K
• Director of Engineering: $248K

What does a Tech Lead do?

Tech Leads are engineers who design, build, and operate the core software systems. This benchmark reflects Lead-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2026) show a median of $160K for Tech Lead roles, ranging $139K–$183K, across 2,199 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average Tech Lead salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $176K, with a typical range of $165K–$217K, based on 825 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

What is the Tech Lead salary in San Francisco?
San Francisco Tech Leads at AI-native startups earn a median of $220K, with a typical range of $190K–$250K (25th–75th percentile). That's 25% above the $176K US national median. Based on 80 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 825 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed October 17, 2026.

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