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 Tags: Amazon Job Leveling Engineering Job Level Google Job Leveling Meta Job Leveling Microsoft Job Leveling