Qualcomm
San Diego, CA · founded 1985
Qualcomm is the San Diego semiconductor giant behind the Snapdragon mobile chips and much of the essential wireless patent portfolio that modern phones license. It is a large, established chip company rather than a startup, with deep hardware, RF, DSP and systems engineering, and it is increasingly pushing into automotive, IoT and on-device AI. San Diego is very much a company town for Qualcomm, and it is one of the biggest tech employers in Southern California. Benefits are broad and mature, including a premium-free health plan option, on-site health and fitness centers, ESPP and RSUs, tuition reimbursement and backup care. The trade-offs are typical of a big semiconductor company: it is cyclical, litigation and licensing disputes are part of the business, and the pace is steadier than consumer software. A strong pick for hardware and systems engineers who want to stay in San Diego.
see the full file on Qualcommdocumented benefits (22)
| Employer pays full premium | yes |
|---|---|
| Stock purchase plan | yes |
| Equity | RSU |
| Tuition reimbursement | offered |
| Backup care | yes |
| On-site gym | yes |
| Vision | yes |
| Mental health | yes |
| Disability | yes |
| Life insurance | yes |
| Volunteer days | offered |
| On-site cafeteria | yes |
| On-site health clinic | yes |
| Employee discount portal | yes |
| PTO | offered |
| Adoption & surrogacy support | offered |
| Median filed wage | $156,853 |
| Gender pay gap, median | 14.7% |
| Gender pay gap, mean | 12.5% |
| Bonus gap, median | 40% |
| Women in the top pay quartile | 15.3% |
| Women in the workforce | 20.6% |
what Qualcomm pays
Median of 262 certified wages filed with the US Department of Labor: $156,853.
Half of Qualcomm's certified filings fall between $130,187 and $182,200.
| role | median | filings | range |
|---|---|---|---|
| staff cpu engineer | $152,506 | 13 filings | $148,300 to $186,472 |
| senior staff cpu engineer | $179,000 | 9 filings | $179,000 to $216,091 |
| senior software engineer | $130,187 | 9 filings | $113,099 to $138,205 |
| senior asics engineer | $115,600 | 8 filings | $115,600 to $143,471 |
| staff asics engineer | $152,506 | 8 filings | $140,000 to $168,583 |
Source: US Department of Labor, FY2025 Q4. Read 2026-07-27.
notable perks
- On-site health centers that handle medical, mental-health and vision care right on campus
- On-campus fitness centers open not just to employees but to their adult dependents
- Cafes on campus serving healthy meal options
- Employee resource groups like QWomen and QParents, plus company social clubs and networks
the legal floor where they are
Set by law, not by Qualcomm. It applies to every employer in CA.
| IVF cycles the state covers | California requires IVF from 1 January 2026, and only from large employers. SB 729 (2024) rewrote Health and Safety Code § 1374.55 so that a large group health care service plan contract 'issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, shall provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, including a maximum of three completed oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers', following ASRM guidelines and using single embryo transfer where medically appropriate. Large group means 100 or more employees. Small group plans need only be OFFERED the coverage rather than provide it, religious employers are excluded, Medi-Cal managed care is exempt, and CalPERS plans are delayed to 1 July 2027. The original 1 July 2025 date was pushed back a budget trailer bill, AB 116 (2025). THE LIMIT THAT DECIDES WHETHER THIS REACHES YOU: a state insurance mandate binds only fully insured plans. A self-funded employer plan is governed federally under ERISA and is preempted, and KFF's 2025 employer survey puts 67% of covered workers — 80% at firms of 200 or more — in a self-funded plan. At most large California employers this law therefore does not apply, and the fertility benefit on the page is the company's own choice. (Senate Bill 729 (2024), which repealed and added Section 1374.55 of the Health and Safety Code and amended Section 10119.6 of the Insurance Code; the operative date was moved from 1 July 2025 to 1 January 2026 by Assembly Bill 116 (2025).) |
|---|---|
| Adoption leave the law gives | 12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period on the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. There is no federal paid adoption leave. (Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(B) and 2612(c); eligibility at 29 U.S.C. 2611(2) and (4). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code.) |
| Pay when you are ill | No federal law requires any paid sick leave. The FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, and the FMLA gives 12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period for a serious health condition, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. Any paid sick time comes from a state or city law, or from the employer's own choice. (Fair Labor Standards Act, per the Department of Labor's statement on payment for time not worked; Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D) and 2612(c). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code on govinfo.gov.) |
Every claim above is sourced and dated. See sources on the full page.
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