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REVEALED: How much Tesla pays its employees, from software engineers to product managers

tesla employees
Tesla is competing with Rivian and Lucid Motors for talent — and pays many employees six-figure salaries. Tesla
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As Tesla prepares to face competition from a new generation of electric-vehicle startups preparing to roll out a host of exciting new vehicles, data Elon Musk's company has shared with the US government provides a few hints into how it works to recruit talent away from the likes of Rivian and Lucid Motors — and keep its employees from going elsewhere.

The US Office of Foreign Labor Certification requires companies to disclose compensation for permanent and temporary employees from outside the US to ensure the firms aren't paying them less than the average wage earned by their peers. Tesla's filings give a sense of how much the electric-car maker pays for some positions.

The salary data Business Insider analyzed is from 2020 and represents either an average or range among employees included in Tesla's disclosures.

Here's what some Tesla employees make each year:

  • Controls engineer: $125,724
  • Data scientist: $107,000
  • Equipment engineer: $99,188
  • Global supply manager: $122,244
  • Industrial engineer: $103,667
  • Integration engineer: $121,641
  • Lead senior controls engineer: $124,500
  • Manufacturing engineer: $111,863
  • Manufacturing-engineering manager: $166,425
  • Mechanical-design engineer: $107,125
  • Process engineer: $93,989
  • Product manager: $121,500
  • Quality engineer: $93,978
  • Senior applications engineer: $131,076
  • Senior compliance engineer: $126,000
  • Senior data engineer: $147,500
  • Senior electronic-design engineer: $133,651
  • Senior manufacturing engineer: $121,346
  • Senior mechanical-design engineer: $116,390
  • Senior process engineer: $121,895
  • Senior product manager: $118,949
  • Senior site-reliability engineer: $145,000
  • Senior software engineer: $148,001 to $165,000
  • Senior supplier-industrialization engineer: $119,645
  • Senior technical program manager: $125,487
  • Software engineer: $150,190 to $169,375
  • Senior application-support engineer: $130,000
  • Senior reliability engineer: $139,000
  • Staff test engineer: $149,344
  • Supplier industrialization engineer: $107,500
  • Technical program manager: $115,750

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Are you a current or former Tesla employee? Do you have an opinion about what it's like to work there? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@jkmperu.com, on Signal at 646-768-4712, or via his encrypted email address mmatousek@protonmail.com.

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I'm a senior transportation reporter at Insider covering electric vehicles, automated-driving technology, and ride-hailing. I joined Insider in October 2017 and previously worked as an intern at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with degrees in film and media studies and business economics. You can follow me on Twitter @matousekmark and email me at mmatousek@jkmperu.com If you have sensitive information you'd like to share and don't feel comfortable sending it to my work email or via a direct-message on Twitter, you can contact me on the encrypted messaging app Signal at 646-768-4712 or email my encrypted address at mmatousek@protonmail.com. Here's some of my work: Uber insiders are divided over Dara Khosrowshahi's leadership, with some worried the company has become 'boring' and 'confused' about its future Nikola founder Trevor Milton convinced the world he was the next Elon Musk. Insiders say a history of lies brought the billionaire down. 17 hours a day, 7 days a week: Cruise-ship workers describe the grueling conditions they face on the job We talked to 42 insiders about Tesla's factory of the future. They revealed the corners cut to hit ambitious production targets. 70-hour weeks and 'WTF' emails: 42 employees reveal the frenzy of working at Tesla under the 'cult' of Elon Musk Tesla is transforming how cars are sold. But 27 insiders say the company's methods mean slashed pay and living under the constant threat of getting laid off. Uber insiders reveal how DoorDash stole its delivery crown and left Eats in the dust Uber's trying no-meeting Mondays to give employees a break from 'tiring' back-to-back meetings, a leaked email reveals Leaked email reveals a Tesla VP expressed concern about employees coming to work with COVID-19 symptoms Leaked document reveals Nikola flip-flopped on whether it would spend any of its $17 million of customer deposits to fund the Nikola One Insiders reveal Alibaba's Jack Ma sought a partnership with Canoo to build electric delivery vans, but the deal fell flat because the startup couldn't meet his aggressive timeline Leaked email from Elon Musk reveals the Model Y is experiencing production 'challenges' while passing the Model 3 as the top priority at Tesla's US car factory Leaked email and audio reveal Carnival-owned Holland America has struggled to give refunds to some customers Leaked documents reveal the severance packages laid off Carnival UK workers will receive Inside Tesla's overhaul plan for its sales and delivery teams to solve one of its toughest customer challenges
Alex Nicoll
Alex Nicoll
Alex is a reporter at Business Insider writing about how people, from billionaires to penny-pinchers, save, invest, and manage their money. He previously covered private credit and equity, real estate, and real estate technology for Business Insider.Recently, he's covered Steve Schwarzman's hidden family office, private capital's push into your retirement account, a massive Airbnb tax-break unlocked by President Trump, and the ex-McKinsey consultant connecting Zohran Mamdani to the business world. According to one Fortune 500 CEO, he's a "fringe reporter."Before joining Business Insider in 2019, he worked for Bridgewater Associates and Peloton. He is the interim vice-chair of the Insider Union.He welcomes any and all reachouts, prioritizes his source's safety, and has a long record of working with confidential sources to tell deeply reported, complicated stories. He loves to yap.Get in touch! Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at @alexnicoll.01 using a non-work phone, email at anicoll@jkmperu.com or alexonicoll@protonmail.com, or Twitter DM at @nicollsanddimes