AI Engineer Bonus Structure Explained

Target bonus is what you get at 100% performance (individual and company). Actual payout varies: FAANG typically pays 90-120% of target, well-run companies 80-110%, struggling companies 50-80%. Formula is usually: Target × Individual Rating (0.5-2.0) × Company Multiplier (0.5-1.5). A 20% target at a company that consistently hits 110% is better than 25% at one that averages 70%.

FAANG: 15-20% target, reliable payout, often paid semi-annually. Stock refresh often more valuable than bonus. Startups: 10-15% target, highly variable, often deferred or skipped in tough years. Cash conservation matters. Consulting firms: 15-30% target, heavily performance-based, wide variance between top and bottom performers. Finance/trading: 50-200%+ of base possible, but volatile. Banks: 15-25% target, fairly reliable.

Junior: 10-15% target ($12K-$22K actual). Mid: 15-18% target ($24K-$40K). Senior: 18-22% target ($40K-$65K). Staff: 20-25% target ($60K-$100K). Principal: 25-35% target ($90K-$160K+). Higher levels have bigger targets and more leverage to negotiate above-target ratings. Senior+ also gets retention bonuses that junior levels don't.

Sign-on is highly negotiable—it's one-time cost to the company. Ask for sign-on to cover: equity cliff (you get nothing year 1 due to vesting), competing offers, relocation. Annual bonus target is harder to move—often tied to level bands. But you can: ask for guaranteed first-year bonus (eliminates performance risk), negotiate sign-on equal to bonus if target seems low, request accelerated bonus payout.

Standard clawback: Leave within 12 months, repay 100%. Leave in months 12-24, repay 50% (pro-rated). Some companies: Full repayment if fired for cause anytime. Voluntary departure triggers clawback, layoffs often don't. Negotiate for: Shorter clawback period, no clawback on termination without cause, pro-rated vs cliff repayment. Get clawback terms in writing before accepting.

Sign-on: First paycheck or within 30 days of start. Annual: Q1 of following year (March-April typical). Google/Meta pay semi-annually. Spot bonuses: Within 1-2 pay periods of approval. Retention: Often 50% upfront, 50% after retention period. Pro tip: Start dates matter. Join in January vs December to potentially get partial-year bonus sooner.

It probably isn't, and you should hold the money. Most cohort dropouts are people who couldn't articulate what they were shipping when they signed up. That's why the consult exists, and why I turn down most applications. If we get on the call and you can't tell me what you'll have shipped at the end of week 8, I'll point you to the AI Native Engineer community until you can.

Yes, the cohort works for people shipping their first serious AI system whether the goal is to land a senior role or to launch a product. The shipped system serves both equally well.

You need to be able to code in Python or TypeScript. Complete beginners can follow the classroom they get access to before the cohort sessions to come in well-prepared.

You'll spend 3 hours every Tuesday in the live session and roughly 3 hours of async work in between, for 8 weeks. The Tuesday session time is fixed.

It's a four-figure investment that we discuss during the 30-minute consult, alongside whether the cohort is the right fit for your project.

Yes, most attendees do. The live session is one Tuesday a week and the async work fits around your existing schedule, as long as you can carve out roughly 6 hours a week.