



Startups shake up IIT placements with high-skill AI roles and sky-high salaries, but in small numbers
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In this season’s race for top brains at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), artificial intelligence (AI) startups—both domestic and Silicon Valley-based—are pulling away from traditional recruiters, offering far higher compensation packages, plus bonuses and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).
The caveat: these startups will hire far less people compared to the traditional industries. A Mint review of more than 300 job descriptions showed that startups such as Javis, Abacus AI, Auxo AI, and others are extending annual packages in the ₹39-60 lakh range—with some US-based positions touching ₹2.6 crore+ for roles spanning voice AI, multimodal engineering, and core machine language (ML) development.
In contrast, established firms—from BlackRock and IndiGo to major FMCG and IT services players—are offering ₹16-35 lakh for AI-linked roles, with IT services firms continuing to hire at scale but at far lower compensation levels compared to the AI startup cohort. However, according to Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a recruitment firm specializing in tech and startup staffing, startups usually hire in smaller numbers—one or two students for niche roles—while traditional firms recruit at scale.
“Startups, however, value fresh talent because they bring a fresh pair of eyes, especially in implementing AI-led solutions," Karanth said. “While there isn’t a large pool of ready-made AI talent, young recruits tend to learn faster than experienced professionals." He further highlighted that hardcore AI engineering roles remain the forte of Silicon Valley, while AI support roles are more frequently hired in India.
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