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A peppermint A review of over 300 job descriptions revealed that startups like Javis, Abacus AI, Oxo AI and others are increasing annual packages. 39-60 lakh range—touching some US-based positions Over Rs 2.6 crore for roles involving voice AI, multimodal engineering and core machine language (ML) development.
In contrast, established companies—from BlackRock and Indigo to major FMCG and IT services players—are offering 16-35 lakh for AI-linked roles, IT services firms continue to hire on a large scale, but at much lower compensation levels than the AI startup group.
However, according to Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a Recruitment Firms that specialize in tech and startup staffing, startups typically recruit in small numbers – one or two students for specific roles – while traditional companies recruit on a larger scale.
“However, startups value new talent as they bring in new talent especially in implementing AI-based solutions,” Karanth said. “Although there is not a large pool of ready AI talent, young recruits learn faster than experienced professionals.”
He further highlighted that hardcore AI engineering roles remain a specialty of Silicon Valley, while AI support roles are more frequently hired in India.
Boom in startup hiring
of mint A review of job descriptions revealed interesting examples of trends.
Mumbai-headquartered AI startup Javis is increasing hiring as the industry is shifting its focus to curated AI services instead of using generic AI software, thereby requiring highly skilled engineers in the workforce.
“This change is creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for organizations like ours,” said Amanpreet Singh, founding member of the AI firm. peppermint“Our hiring drive reflects our commitment to innovation and leadership in this rapidly evolving landscape,”
According to Singh, Javis has increased its salaries by up to 40% to attract the right minds for roles such as voice AI engineers, agentic AI engineers and machine learning (ML) engineers specializing in building “computer vision and multimodal AI capabilities.”
,compensation to package Singh said, Rs 39-52 lakh was offered to attract the best minds into our AI engineering and research teams.
California, US-based AI firm Giga is also looking for software engineers for remote work in its San Francisco office as well as from India. For the American role, an offer of $210,000 (up) is expected 2.66 crore), which includes $120,000 in stock vested over four years and a $30,000 annual bonus. For India-based roles, Giga is expected to offer Minimum Rs 25-45 lakh 10 lakh bonus. Appointed candidates may also receive ESOPs.
In response to an email peppermint In queries, the company said that in 2025, it had increased the average salary and bonuses to attract and retain IIT candidates.
A company spokesperson wrote in an email, “We have made the adjustment in response to the exceptional talent emerging from the IITs. Our updated packages aim to attract the brightest minds…Offers vary based on location and the skill level of the candidate. The maximum limit is more than $150,000 per year.”
It also stressed that ESOPs have been beneficial in keeping employees engaged in the past, and hopes they will work for its IIT recruits as well.
The spokesperson said, “We want our new hires to stay with us for the long term. When we succeed over time, everyone who holds shares with us benefits… The most important rewards come when we establish ourselves as a generational company.”
Oxo AI, San Francisco, US based AI firm is looking for AI Engineer For one of its Indian offices, expect to pay a little more 27 lakhs, with joining bonus of Rs. 1 lakh, retention bonus Rs 10 lakh and annual performance bonus after three years 2.1 lakh.
“Our focus on AI engineering recruitment at IIT is not about chasing a trend; it is about building the core engine of our business. By bringing in world-class AI talent, we can transform disorganized, fragmented enterprise data into intelligent systems that automate workflows, enhance decision making, and create entirely new revenue opportunities,” explained Deepesh Hiran, managing director, head of OxoAI’s India operations. peppermint,
“An AI-native team allows us to move from pilot to production at startup speed, while meeting the reliability and governance standards that large customers expect,” he added.
Abacus AI, another San Francisco-based AI firm that is hiring software and ML engineers to work remotely from India, can offer Annual compensation Rs 50-60 lakh. “These roles are very important for the technology we are building in the highly competitive AI/ML space,” said Manish Vora, an IIT Bombay alumnus who leads country operations for the firm.
Mumbai-based AI and analytics firm Fractal Analytics, which is also exploring a initial public offeringcan offer Rs 35 lakh for AI engineering role, with retention bonus 3 lakh after 13 months, with a clawback period of 12 months, according to the job description reviewed by peppermintThe firm declined to comment,
Small offers, but massive
Meanwhile, legacy companies seem somewhat reluctant to loosen their purse strings. Asset management giant BlackRock is looking for data analyst engineers with expertise in AI development for the Aladdin Data team for its Gurugram and Mumbai offices, and is expected to offer this. 22 lakh annual compensation.
InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is looking for AI engineers to “translate cutting-edge research around agentic AI, autonomous and adaptive AI and other data science and engineering methods into robust, maintainable AI.” and scalable systems”. it can offer 16.5 lakhs for the role.
FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd., which is hiring at higher than expected salaries for its leadership program 35 lakh, is also looking for candidates skilled in “building AI-led forecasting tools to improve demand planning accuracy in volatile markets”.
Email queries to BlackRock, InterGlobe Aviation and HUL remained unanswered.
On the other hand, IT companies, which usually recruit in large numbers, have slowed down their intake into engineering colleges. According to their management comments, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro are expected to hire up to 42,000, 20,000 and 12,000 freshers respectively in 2025-26. In contrast, HCL Technologies plans to hire more than 7,800 freshers, albeit in specialized, skill-based roles. peppermint Reported earlier.
Meanwhile, beyond engineering, top management consulting companies are eyeing talent from top B-schools like the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to hire management talent specializing in AI. peppermint Reported earlier.
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