| Approx. Level | Microsoft | Meta (Facebook) | Google | Amazon | Typical Title / Scope |
|---|
| Entry | 59–60 | IC3 | L3 | L4 | New Grad / SDE I | | Mid | 61–62 | IC4 | L4 | L5 | Mid-level Engineer | | Senior | 63–64 | IC5 | L5 | L6 | Senior Engineer | | Staff | 65 | IC6 | L6 | L7 | Staff / Tech Lead | | Principal | 66 | IC7 | L7 | L7 | Principal Engineer | | Distinguished / Director | 67 (Partner) | IC8 / E8 | L8 | L8 | Director / Sr Principal | | Partner Director / Senior Director | Partner Director | E9 | L9 | L8–L9 | Multi-org leadership | | VP | CVP (Corporate VP) | E10 | L10 | L10 | VP, org-wide scope | | SVP | EVP | E11 | L11 | L11 | Senior VP | | C-Level | CEO, CTO, etc. | E12+ (Zuck etc.) | L12+ | L12+ | Company leadership |
📌 Key Notes by Company✅ Microsoft- Levels start at 59 for full-time engineers.
- Partner (67+) is considered executive-level technical leadership.
- Dual track: IC and Manager paths are clearly defined.
✅ Meta- IC = Individual Contributor, E = Engineering Manager.
- Strong IC track up to IC8, with top-level engineers often earning more than some directors.
- Leveling is tight to scope and cross-functional impact.
✅ Google- L3–L6 = Software Engineer
- L7 = Senior Staff / Principal
- L8+ = Distinguished / Director
- Promotion bar is very high for L6+.
✅ Amazon- Uses unified L4–L12+ leveling system across ICs and managers.
- L7 is a huge level – could be a Principal Engineer or Senior Manager.
- Base salary capped (~$185K–$195K), with heavy use of RSUs for comp at L6+.
📚 Primary Data Sources- Most comprehensive public source for job levels, compensation, and career ladders across tech.
- Directly contributed by employees and verified offers.
- Includes charts comparing level titles, scope, and compensation.
- Frequently updated and widely trusted across the industry.
- Anonymous verified user posts discussing levels, offers, and promotions.
- Especially useful for edge cases (e.g., someone moving from Meta IC6 to Google L6).
- Shows how engineers level-hop across companies.
✅ 3. Public Job Listings (CA Pay Transparency Laws)- Companies like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are required by law (especially in CA, WA, CO, NY) to post official pay ranges tied to levels.
- These listings often include the associated level (e.g., “IC6, Software Engineer” or “L6 SDE”).
✅ 4. H1B Salary Data- U.S. Department of Labor public salary disclosures for visa holders.
- Useful for title-to-level mapping (especially by location).
✅ 5. Internal Knowledge / Industry Experience- Confirmed by:
- Recruiters and tech leads on LinkedIn, Medium, or hiring events
- Tech career coaches and former FAANG employees who share insights online
- My own compiled mappings from user interactions and offer breakdowns
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