The salaries of US Professors at public universities is public. For instance, the database of salaries at UC universities can be queried here [1]. This data wil

The salaries of US Professors at public universities is public. For instance, the database of salaries at UC universities can be queried here [1]. This data will be updated and more precise than glassdoor. This does not include salaries at private institutions though, and those salaries may be higher than at public universities. I do not want to pinpoint any specific names, but salaries for tenure-track assistant professors that started after the AI boom seem to be on par with salaries in the private sector for positions right after the PhD (100k-150k range). Also, professor salary usually includes an extra summer salary that comes from grants, I don't know whether this summer salary is included in the database [1]. Also, AI academic positions are spread throughout the US, as opposed to tech AI positions that are concentrated in the bay area. This, as well as the almost complete freedom that academics enjoy, may appeal to some talented PhDs. [1]: https://ucannualwage.ucop.edu/wage/ https://ucannualwage.ucop.edu/wage/