AI talent is growing fastest
The biggest shift in our pipeline over the last year is AI. A wave of engineers has moved into LLM apps, agents, and RAG — often self-directed, building real projects rather than waiting for formal roles.
What they actually work with
Rates and what drives them
Senior AI engineers run $4,200–$7,000/month all-in — the premium reflects scarcity of people who've shipped production LLM systems, not just notebooks. Applied LLM experience commands more than research-only backgrounds for most startups.
How to vet AI engineers
Look past demos. Ask for a system they shipped, how they evaluated it, and how they handled hallucination, cost, and latency. Real production judgement separates the top few percent.
Methodology — figures are directional, drawn from Edenic's own sourcing and vetting pipeline and general market observation. They're meant for planning, not as a formal third-party survey.