Engineering Levels, Roles, Responsibilities and Global Compensation at Major Tech Companies (2025) Understanding engineering ladders is essential for planning a career in technology, evaluating offers, and negotiating compensation. Large software companies use level systems to align expectations, scope, and pay. This guide explains the typical engineering levels, the responsibilities at each level, and the approximate total compensation in four major markets: United States, India, United Kingdo
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Cisco organizes its technical Individual Contributor (IC) career path into graded levels (e.g., Grade 4, Grade 6, Grade 8, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Grade 13). Each level corresponds to increasing seniority, scope, technical leadership, and compensation. Understanding these levels is essential for career planning, evaluating offers, and progression strategy. Grade 4 – Software Engineer I (Entry Level) Experience: ~0–2 years Role / Responsibilities: * Work under supervision on small feat
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Walmart has been scaling its technology organization and engineering workforce (“Global Tech” and “Walmart Labs” etc) to support e‑commerce, cloud infrastructure, retail systems, AI, and many other domains. As with large tech firms, engineering levels map to increasing scope, ownership, impact and compensation. Understanding how the levels map provides a useful roadmap for your career, for evaluating offers, and for setting growth goals. Below is a breakdown of key engineering IC levels at Walm
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Apple uses a leveling system for engineering individual contributors (ICs) — often labelled ICT2, ICT3, ICT4, ICT5, ICT6 for software engineers. Each level corresponds to increasing seniority, broader scope of ownership, greater impact, and higher compensation. Understanding these levels helps you evaluate job offers, assess where you are in your career path, and plan for progression. ICT2 – Entry Software Engineer Typical Experience: ~0‑2 years (new graduate or early‑career engineer). Role
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Oracle organizes many of its engineering careers in “IC” (Individual Contributor) levels such as IC‑1, IC‑2, IC‑3, IC‑4, IC‑5 and sometimes IC‑6 for senior technical contributors. Each level corresponds to increasing seniority, impact, leadership, and compensation. Understanding this ladder helps you evaluate job offers, plan growth, and negotiate more effectively. Below each level is broken down into: typical experience, role/responsibilities, and approximate compensation. IC‑1 – Entry Softw
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At Amazon, engineering roles are structured into levels (e.g., L4, L5, L6, L7, L8…) and each level corresponds to increasing scope of ownership, impact, mentoring and compensation. Knowing how levels map to experience, role, compensation and expectations helps you evaluate job offers, plan your growth path, and negotiate effectively. Below are key levels for software engineers at Amazon: L4 (SDE I entry), L5 (SDE II), L6 (SDE III), L7 (Principal SDE), L8 (Senior Principal/Staff), and beyond. Co
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Roles, Responsibilities & Global Compensation NVIDIA organizes its engineering career ladder in “IC” (Individual Contributor) levels, where each level corresponds to increasing seniority, scope of ownership, technical impact, and compensation. Whether you’re an early‑career engineer or aiming for senior leadership in engineering, understanding these levels helps you evaluate offers, map your growth path, and negotiate with insight. Below is a breakdown of the major IC levels at NVIDIA (IC1
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Like many large tech companies, Microsoft uses a level/grade structure for engineering and technical individual contributors (ICs) to define scope, seniority, compensation bands, career progression, and expectations. For engineers, one typical path is: SDE → SDE II → Senior SDE → Principal SDE → Partner/Distinguished etc. Microsoft’s levels for software engineers often run roughly from Level 59 (or 59‑60) for entry ICs, up to Level 70 for distinguished engineers. In large technology companies l
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Note: The following interview questions and experiences were submitted by a verified user who recently interviewed at Microsoft for the Senior Engineer role and successfully received an offer. Landing an interview at Microsoft as a Senior Engineer is an exciting but challenging opportunity. In this blog, I’ll share this verified user-submitted Microsoft interview experience, including coding and system design questions, along with solutions, insights, and preparation tips to help aspiring candi
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Inside the Role of a Meta E6 Engineer: The Staff Software Engineer at Facebook In the world of software engineering, few titles carry as much prestige and responsibility as the Meta E6 Staff Software Engineer. This level represents a major leap from senior engineering roles and marks the transition from technical execution to technical leadership at scale. At Meta, E6 engineers are among the most trusted technical voices within the company. They play a critical role in driving architectural di
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Inside the Role of a Meta Distinguished Engineer At Meta, engineering is the backbone of every product, from Facebook and Instagram to WhatsApp, Threads, and Reality Labs. The company’s technical leadership hierarchy is designed to identify and empower engineers who not only write great code but also influence the direction of entire product ecosystems. At the very top of that ladder sits the Meta Distinguished Engineer. This is one of the rarest and most prestigious positions at the company,
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Inside the Role of a Google L8 Engineer: Principal Engineer at Google For most software engineers, reaching senior or staff levels is a major career milestone. But at Google, there’s another tier of technical leadership reserved for those who have mastered not only technology but also influence, strategy, and scale. That level is L8, commonly referred to as Principal Engineer. This role represents the gateway to the very top of Google’s individual contributor (IC) ladder, just one level below
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Understanding the Role of a Google Distinguished Engineer In the world of technology, few titles carry as much respect and prestige as that of a Google Distinguished Engineer. This role represents the pinnacle of the technical career path at Google, reserved for individuals whose impact extends far beyond a single product or team. Distinguished Engineers are the architects of Google’s most complex systems, the mentors of its senior engineers, and the thought leaders who shape the company’s long
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Sora 2 is OpenAI’s Next Leap Into AI Video Creation. For the past few years, we’ve seen AI get pretty good at writing text, creating images, and even generating music. But video? That’s been the tricky one. Early tools could make short clips, but they often looked glitchy or unrealistic. Then came Sora, OpenAI’s first real attempt to change that. It could turn text prompts into short videos, opening up new creative possibilities. Now OpenAI is back with Sora 2, and it’s more than just an upgra
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Preparing for job interviews and navigating the competitive job market can be stressful and overwhelming. From polishing resumes to practicing for interviews, the pressure can affect your focus, confidence, and overall well-being. Recognizing this, Hirecade.com has partnered with AmericanBaba to offer free online yoga and meditation sessions exclusively for Hirecade.com candidates. These sessions are designed to help reduce stress, improve concentration, and boost your confidence as you prepare
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GPT Realtime is OpenAI’s latest speech-to-speech model. While previous voice assistants often felt robotic, GPT Realtime enables natural, expressive, and context-aware conversations. By combining speech recognition, language processing, and voice generation into one unified system, GPT Realtime dramatically reduces latency while improving accuracy and nuance. This innovation makes it possible to build AI agents that sound human, follow complex instructions, and respond instantly in real-world s
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Google has unveiled Nano Banana, a next-generation AI image editing model that’s integrated into the Gemini app. Built by the DeepMind team, this innovation has already been hailed as one of the most advanced image editing tools in the world. By combining creativity with cutting-edge AI, Nano Banana opens the door to photo editing that feels more natural, more powerful, and more fun than ever before.What Is Nano Banana? Nano Banana is an AI-powered image generation and editing system designed t
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For years, job interviews have been considered the gold standard of hiring. A recruiter’s ability to ask the right questions, read between the lines, and gauge potential has shaped countless careers and organizations. But what if a machine could do it better? That’s no longer a hypothetical. Groundbreaking new research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Erasmus University Rotterdam shows that AI-led job interviews don’t just match human recruiters, they outperform them.
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For any ambitious founder in 2025, the path from a brilliant idea to a thriving business is a challenging one. Choosing the right partner can make all the difference. Startup accelerators and fellowships are designed to supercharge that journey, providing critical funding, invaluable mentorship, and access to a network that can open doors you never knew existed. From the heart of Silicon Valley to the tech hubs of Europe, the options are vast. To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve curated
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Over the last five years, 95% of the System Design interviews our founding team (ex-Meta, ex-Google, and ex-OpenAI) has taken have revolved around a surprisingly small set of practical, repeatable problems. If you’re preparing for FAANG+ interviews (or just want to learn System Design the right way), this is the must-solve list. Mastering these problems will not only prepare you for interviews but also give you a deep understanding of how real-world systems are built. We’ve grouped them into t
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Google has expanded its Gemma family of open AI models with the release of Gemma 3 270M, a lightweight, hyper-efficient system designed for task-specific AI. With just 270 million parameters, the model is the smallest in the Gemma 3 lineup but aims to deliver outsized performance in energy efficiency, fine-tuning speed, and deployment flexibility. Compact Design With a Big Vocabulary Gemma 3 270M is structured around two main components: 170 million parameters dedicated to embeddings and 100
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Rejoy Health: The Future of AI Search in Healthcare In today’s clinical environment, the value of time cannot be overstated. Every minute a doctor spends searching for information is a minute taken away from patient care. Yet, with medical knowledge doubling every 1500 days and new research papers published every 30 seconds, physicians are facing an impossible task, keeping up. This is where Rejoy Health steps in: a cutting-edge AI-powered search platform designed to transform how clinicians a
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Perplexity Comet: Revolutionizing AI-Powered Search & Research In an era where information overload is the norm, navigating through the sea of data can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. That’s where Perplexity has made a strong mark, offering a powerful answer-engine that delivers direct, transparent, and well-cited responses. Now, Perplexity has launched Comet, a smarter, deeper, and more interactive layer on top of its core search functionality. If you’re curious about generati
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Sourcing Shouldn’t Take Thirteen Hours. With HireCade, It Takes Thirty Seconds. If you’re a recruiter, you know the pain. Long hours spent combing through candidate profiles, refining search strings, cross-referencing spreadsheets, and crafting outreach messages that might never get a reply. According to multiple recruitment studies, it takes an average of thirteen hours to source candidates for just one role. That’s nearly two full working days dedicated solely to finding potential hires, befo
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Windsurf is an AI-Native IDE. Windsurf, formerly known as Codeium, has quickly become a notable name in the AI developer tools landscape. Its journey from a backend GPU optimization startup to a fully AI-integrated integrated development environment (IDE) illustrates the rapid evolution of software tooling in the generative AI era. Origins: From Exafunction to Codeium The company that would become Windsurf started in 2021 under the name Exafunction, founded by Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, bo
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The world of software development is changing fast, and AI is leading the charge. From autocomplete to full-blown code generation, developers now have access to powerful tools that can cut dev time, reduce bugs, and help ship faster. But with so many AI-powered editors popping up, how do you know which one is truly worth your time? Meet KAEditor — a next-generation, AI code editor designed from the ground up to be more than just another autocomplete tool. It’s your Knowledge Assistant for code:
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It was supposed to be the crown jewel of AI infrastructure. Backed by $14 billion from Meta, Scale AI positioned itself as the quiet force behind your favorite AI models. But behind the curtain, Scale AI wasn’t a sleek Silicon Valley machine. It was a clown car on fire - overrun by fraud, incompetence, and a chaotic flood of AI-generated nonsense. As the AI arms race accelerates, a massive truth is becoming impossible to ignore: bad data ruins good AI. And Scale AI? It’s been serving up junk fo
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Google just dropped Doppl, a fresh experimental app from Google Labs that brings the fitting room to your smartphone. Launched in the U.S. this June, Doppl uses generative AI to let you virtually try on clothes—complete with animated videos showing how outfits move on you—right from your couch (blog.google). Here’s a deep dive into why Doppl is a potential game-changer in fashion, what it can do, its drawbacks, and what comes next. How Doppl Works 1. Upload Your Photo Open the app, uplo
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The Ultimate Guide to Venture Capital Compensation in 2025 Salaries, Bonuses, Carry & What Each Role Really Does VC Pay Landscape: 2025 Snapshot Venture capital isn’t just about high-profile founders and unicorns—it's a competitive, multi-tier career path with compensation that varies dramatically depending on fund size, seniority, and carry (equity in fund profits). Here’s what the current data tells us: Metric Insight Highest Avg Comp $2.1M – Mega Fund GPs Largest Pay Gap 6x –
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A Blueprint to U.S. Permanent Residency The EB‑1A is one of the most prestigious U.S. green card routes for professionals who demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field. Unlike most other immigrant visas, it allows self-petitioning, meaning you don't need employer sponsorship. For software engineers and tech innovators, it represents a remarkable opportunity. With determination and the right strategy, even mid-career professionals can meet the criteria—no need to already be a household na
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies have become the backbone of innovation across industries — from healthcare and autonomous vehicles to customer service and finance. But one crucial ingredient is often overlooked: high-quality labeled data. Raw data alone isn’t enough for machines to “learn” effectively. This is where data annotation and data labeling come in. Data annotation is the process of adding informative labels or metadata to raw data — images, videos,
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In today’s globalized economy, companies are increasingly looking beyond borders to find talent — whether it’s software engineers in Eastern Europe, data annotators in Southeast Asia, or product managers in Latin America. However, hiring internationally presents a complex challenge: complying with local labor laws, payroll regulations, taxes, benefits, and visas can be daunting and costly. This is where Employer of Record (EOR) services come in as a powerful solution. By acting as the official
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In July 2025, Microsoft is initiating another wave of layoffs — its third major round this year. Over 1,000 U.S.-based employees, primarily in sales and customer-facing roles, are expected to be impacted. If you’re one of those affected, this isn’t just a career disruption — it’s a turning point. Whether you’re navigating an H-1B visa, considering a move into software or product roles, or wondering how to future-proof your career, this guide breaks it all down for you. The Layoff Story: Why M
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In a dramatic turn in the AI arms race this week, Meta (formerly Facebook) has quietly escalated its strategy—offering nine‑figure incentives to top AI researchers from rivals like OpenAI and DeepMind. But even with signing bonuses rumored to hit $100 million, not a single leading Light‑year‑level talent has jumped ship. Here’s the full breakdown. 0:00 /0:51 1× Meta’s Bold Talent Grab Meta is not holding back. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta
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Imagine a battlefield where decisions are made in milliseconds—not minutes. Where aerial dogfights are aided by AI copilots, and underwater drones silently patrol pipelines for months on end. This isn’t science fiction. It’s Helsing, a German startup that's rapidly becoming one of Europe’s most consequential defense technology players. Founded in 2021, Helsing blends artificial intelligence with cutting-edge hardware to reshape what warfare looks like in the 21st century. With a staggering €1.3
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The AI and machine learning industry has witnessed massive growth over the past decade, driven by the insatiable demand for labeled data—a crucial ingredient for training machine learning models. Among the key players in providing data labeling services, Scale AI has long been a leader. However, recent developments have cast a shadow over the company’s future, with major clients like Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Elon Musk’s xAI pulling back or scaling back their relationships with Scale AI. A
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Google, one of the most influential companies in the tech world, offers a world-class engineering environment for professionals eager to innovate and drive change. Engineers at Google have the opportunity to work on some of the most cutting-edge technologies and products that affect billions of users globally. If you're an engineer looking to join Google or progress within the company, it’s essential to understand the clear and structured career progression Google offers. This post will explore
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Meta (formerly Facebook) has long been recognized as one of the most innovative tech giants in the world. The company has built an impressive engineering culture, attracting some of the brightest minds in the industry. For engineers looking to join or progress within Meta, understanding the company’s structured career path is crucial. Meta’s engineering levels are well-defined, with clear expectations at each stage, along with competitive compensation packages, especially for those working in th
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A Strategic Reshuffle Amid AI Race In June 2025, Google initiated a fresh round of voluntary buyout packages targeting U.S.-based employees in several high-impact areas—especially its Knowledge & Information (K&I) division, which includes Search, Ads, and Commerce—as well as core engineering, marketing, research, and communications teams . By offering these Voluntary Exit Programs (VEPs), Google is empowering employees to opt-out in exchange for severance. This is part of a broader organizatio
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In a bold and controversial strategic move, Meta is acquiring a 49% stake in Scale AI, a data labeling and human-feedback infrastructure provider, for nearly $15 billion. This partnership signals Meta's deepening investment in the infrastructure of artificial intelligence development, but it also raises profound concerns across the AI ecosystem. At first glance, the deal appears to be a shrewd move for Meta. With competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind pushing ahead with cutting
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OpenAI Codex, the AI model behind GitHub Copilot, represents a monumental shift in how software is written. It acts as a bridge between natural language and programming code, allowing developers to describe functionality in plain English and have working code generated for them. This evolution in software development tools is not just a technical enhancement — it signals a major transformation in the profession itself, touching on productivity, skill requirements, and even job stability. Under
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Most job seekers focus on crafting the perfect resume to impress recruiters. But here's the truth: your resume has to impress software before it ever reaches a human. That software is called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). And here's something even more valuable—we're not just giving you advice from a candidate’s perspective. We’ve built FREE ATS systems for recruiters. We’ve seen thousands of resumes go through parsing engines, keyword filters, ranking algorithms, and more. And we know exa
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