I was at a staff equivalent elsewhere and went through an Apple interview loop in late 2025, declined the offer but did get one. Sharing because staff-level Apple comp data is basically invisible online.
The offer: Principal Engineer, silicon org. Bay Area. Base: $265k RSU: $1.8M over 4 years. I know that sounds high. It is high. Silicon at Apple is very well compensated because of the APC / M-series work and they're competing hard for chip-level talent. Bonus: 15% target Sign-on: $50k (plus an additional $40k to cover unvested equity I was leaving) Estimated year-1 TC: ~$590k. Steady state TC without bonus around $520k.
I declined, not because the comp was bad (it wasn't), but because of culture reasons I can get into separately.
What I learned about the equity structure at this level:
Refresh grants become significant. At senior/staff levels the annual refresh can add $300k-$500k+ to a 4-year grant. But it's discretionary and tied to performance ratings. If you're rated in the top bucket consistently, the refreshes compound well. If you have a bad year, you feel it.
The RSU is all Apple stock, concentrated. For folks with long tenures at Apple this can be a substantial concentration risk. Not a reason to decline but factor it into how you think about the overall deal.
Negotiation at this level: I had a competing offer (different big tech co). Apple matched the sign-on fully and moved the RSU grant about 10% from initial. They said base was firm; I didn't push hard because I wasn't fully committed to taking it.
If you're at a senior or staff equivalent and interviewing at Apple, the silicon org should be on your list specifically if you have any relevant hardware-adjacent experience.