India's AI startups, including Krutrim, SarvamAI, TurboML, smallest_AI, and soketlabs, are experiencing a hiring surge, offering salaries ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore annually for early-to-mid-career AI engineers, along with stock options and flexible work arrangements. A report by xto10x highlights that tech leaders in engineering, product, and data science are earning 80% more than their counterparts in other roles. Specifically, CTOs and Senior VPs of Product command median fixed salaries of Rs 1.77 crore and Rs 1.72 crore, respectively, while brand marketing heads earn Rs 80.6 lakh and VP-Sales (B2B SaaS) earn Rs 85.1 lakh. The report also notes that startup CFOs' compensation is increasingly linked to fundraising success, and many startups are tightening stock-based grants for top executives to manage equity dilution.