[d3w4s9]

Go to levels.fyi, search Apple, then look for salary that is for a similar position and has a similar base. That's a starting point.

The base does have a quite wide range, I assume that's the range for a few different levels. Still, you are roughly looking at a TC starting from $230k all the way up to $400k and more.

"Niche space and serious talent" doesn't necessarily translate to higher levels or salary in a company. It all comes down to how much resource an organization has. (I wish my employer actually understood how "valuable" I am and that I achieved things very few in my company could do, but I am not betting on that or the company.)

All other comments here are useless and a waste of your time.

[lotsofpulp]

Serious talent (i.e. desired by many buyers) translates to higher pay, especially for buyers with huge amounts of resources like Apple.

If the talent is too niche, however, the buyer might lowball the seller because they predict the seller will not be able to find a better offer.

[geodel]

Huge amount of resource can also mean they can wait for talent for right price. They'd rather have 20 engineers for right price than 4 superstars demanding 40% increase every year else threatening to leave.