The ongoing artificial intelligence revolution has propelled Nvidia to unprecedented heights, creating a financial windfall not just for investors but also transforming the lives of many company employees. While Nvidia maintains a relatively lean workforce of approximately 36,000 people, its extraordinary stock market performance has converted numerous long-term contributors into millionaires, highlighting the personal wealth generation potential within the tech giant.
CEO's Personal Involvement in Compensation
Nvidia's Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang has consistently emphasized his hands-on approach to employee remuneration. In a revealing discussion on the All-In podcast last July, Huang stated, "I review everybody's compensation up to this day at the end of every cycle." He further made the bold claim of having "created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world." Despite this executive focus, an internal acknowledgment exists that employees who joined Nvidia during earlier phases have reaped substantially greater benefits from equity appreciation compared to more recent hires, a disparity openly recognized within the company culture.
H-1B Visa Filings Offer Salary Transparency
Recently disclosed H-1B visa application data, as reported by Business Insider, provides a rare window into the compensation structure for Nvidia's US-based workforce. These filings with the US Labor Department, necessary for sponsoring foreign professionals, disclose base salary ranges for various critical positions. It is crucial to note that these figures do not include equity grants and performance bonuses, which frequently constitute a significant portion of total compensation packages at technology firms like Nvidia.
Detailed Salary Breakdown by Role
During fiscal year 2025, Nvidia submitted approximately 1,900 certified H-1B applications covering diverse professional categories. The salary data reveals competitive compensation across engineering, architecture, research, and product management functions.
Engineering Roles:
- ASIC Engineer: $163,925 – $368,000
- CAD Engineer: $136,000 – $310,500
- DevOps Engineer: $140,000 – $270,250
- Hardware Engineer (Electronics): $92,000 – $368,000
- Manager, Engineering: $203,879 – $391,000
- Mask Design Engineer: $110,187 – $230,000
- Mechanical Engineer: $102,336 – $247,250
- Mixed Signal Design Engineer: $151,091 – $310,500
- Physical Design Engineer: $96,000 – $310,500
- Senior ASIC Engineer: $128,000 – $310,500
- Senior Systems Software Engineer: $117,499 – $356,500
- Software Engineer: $92,000 – $425,500
- Software QA Engineer: $133,432 – $322,000
- System Design Engineer: $124,197 – $253,000
- Systems Software Manager: $208,125 – $425,500
- Test Engineer: $124,197 – $287,500
- Verification Engineer: $119,184 – $368,000
Architecture Positions:
- Architect: $104,000 – $425,500
- Architecture Manager: $207,093 – $425,500
- Senior Architect: $150,821 – $356,500
- Solutions Architect: $108,722 – $356,500
Research and Analytical Functions:
- Research Scientist: $104,000 – $431,250
- Business Systems Analyst: $140,000 – $310,500
- Product Manager: $131,029 – $379,500
- Program Manager: $75,462 – $368,000
This comprehensive salary data underscores Nvidia's commitment to attracting top talent through competitive remuneration, particularly as the company continues to dominate the artificial intelligence hardware landscape. The combination of substantial base salaries, potential equity appreciation, and performance bonuses creates a powerful compensation ecosystem that has generated remarkable wealth for employees during this historic AI-driven expansion.
