AI Startup Hiring in 2025: The Complete Playbook
AI talent is the scarcest resource in tech. Here is how leading AI startups are winning the talent war.
Roles Team
Talent Advisors · January 12, 2025
# AI Startup Hiring in 2025
AI talent is the most competitive market in tech history.
The AI Talent Landscape
Senior ML engineers command $400-800K+ total comp. Research scientists with publications: $500K-1M+.
Roles You Need
- Machine Learning Engineer: Builds and deploys ML models - Research Scientist: Publishes papers, advances state of the art - ML Infrastructure Engineer: Builds training infrastructure - Applied AI Engineer: Integrates AI into products
Winning Strategies
- Technical differentiation with unique datasets - World-class technical leaders - Significant equity grants with clear liquidity path
The Bottom Line
Winning AI talent requires competitive compensation, interesting problems, and world-class teammates.