Google Salary Leak Reveals Mind-blowing Earnings Top Engineers Make

A detailed internal document from Google GOOGL employees recently came to light, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the company's compensation across a variety of positions and demographics in the U.S.

What Happened: The spreadsheet, which encapsulated data provided by a substantial number of employees in 2022, was dissected by Insider to present a granular view of Google's financial landscape. 

The spreadsheet illustrated a range in earnings based on metrics such as position, location, race and gender, Insider reported.

At Google, a significant portion of the workforce received restricted stock units, which boosted their overall compensation package, according to Insider. Despite this, the dataset, which was confined to full-time employees stationed in the U.S., lacked comprehensive details on equity and bonuses, as not all individuals disclosed this information.

The data revealed that those who worked longer and in higher positions at the company received higher compensation. 

One level 7 software engineer, for example, reported an annual base pay of $718,000, with their total earnings approaching $800,000.

Also Read: Google Executives Threaten Workers With Layoffs, Say 'There Will Be Blood On The Streets'

In addition, several individuals in high-ranking software engineering roles reported total earnings surpassing the $1 million mark, a feat achieved through generous bonus and equity allocations.

In a statement to Insider, Google spokesperson Tamani Jayasinghe emphasized, "We compensate Googlers based on what they do, not who they are."

Jayasinghe added that Google undertakes a meticulous annual review to ensure equitable distribution of salaries, bonuses and equity awards, while also highlighting that the data in the spreadsheet was outdated and unverified.

Google disclosed that the median cumulative compensation for its personnel in 2022 was $279,802. The firm operates on a structured level system to define pay scales and job responsibilities — a hierarchy that extends from level 0, earmarked for interns, to level 10. There is also an exclusive level 11 for individuals who hold the esteemed "senior fellow" title, a distinction currently bestowed upon computer scientists Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat.

Compensation at Google is also determined by the location of its employees. The company aligns its pay scales with living costs in different regions, according to Insider. Data showed that the Bay Area and New York tended to have higher pay scales, while Colorado and Georgia had lower scales, Insider reported. 

Now Read: Google Salary Data Leak Shows Staggering Salaries Of Engineers, Managers And Others

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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