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Grok's maker, part of SpaceX since February 2026. One pooled band - xAI publishes no level ladder. Equity-heavy offers; new grants are SpaceX stock, public since June 2026.
Ranges aggregated from publicly-available sources. Treat the median (p50) as roughly representative; quartile bands reflect negotiation range. Have specific data points or corrections? Send them in.
xAI was acquired by SpaceX in an all-stock deal that closed on February 2, 2026 (SpaceX S-1/A; CNBC), with X folded in alongside it. SpaceX listed on Nasdaq (SPCX) in June 2026 at an IPO price of $135 per share. That changes how to read the equity: grants made before February 2026 were private xAI stock valued at funding-round prices, while new grants are in a publicly traded stock whose value moves with the share price. Levels.fyi does not separate the two eras, so the equity figures mix both. Ask the recruiter about vesting schedule, refresh grants, and any post-IPO trading restrictions - none are published. xAI has historically used a flat 'Member of Technical Staff' title rather than public levels; postings now read 'Software Engineer, <team>'. Most US roles are in Palo Alto, with some in Seattle, New York, and Memphis (data center).
xAI does not publish a level ladder and Levels.fyi shows no per-level split, so this is one pooled band across all experience levels - not a level. Posted base ranges are very wide ($180K-$440K on most roles), which reflects that one posting covers many seniorities. Equity is the larger half of the reported median.
| Component | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $190K | $220K | $290K | $360K |
| Equity (annualized) | $230K | $400K | $500K | $620K |
| Total comp | $450K | $620K | $780K | $950K |
Sparse public data - directional. Only the p50 is published (Levels.fyi median $620K; highest report $1.04M); p25/p75/p90 are widened estimates around it. H-1B filings put MTS base at $280K-$400K, above the Levels.fyi median base, so base runs wide. Equity is annualized grant value at the price used when granted.
Cross-referenced against public reporting, state pay-transparency postings, and triangulated where source ranges disagreed. Last refresh: October 2026.
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