Big Tech is shelling out up to $1 million for new hires who will never have to write a line of code

Some of the highest-paid tech workers now will never have to write a line of code. And it’s not because their work is being done by AI: Tech companies are shelling out high six-figure salaries for senior communications roles.

In February, Anthropic posted a job for a head of product communications with a listed $400,000 salary; Netflix was seeking a senior director of communications with a salary range of $656,000 to $1.2 million; and OpenAI was looking for a head of infrastructure communications and a head of business communications, both with salary ranges up to $430,000, plus equity.

Google is also willing to pay senior communications managers total compensation packages reaching $370,000 or more; Meta’s communications department averages roughly $221,380 in total compensation, with senior roles climbing well past that; and at Microsoft, top communications directors are pulling down close to $300,000.

But why would tech-focused companies be willing to invest so much in a more analog, linguistics-focused role while there’s seemingly much more spending to be done in AI development? Because of how little the general public understands about AI, experts say. 

“AI is complicated. It’s evolving quickly and it’s triggering very real anxiety among employees, regulators, and customers. In that environment, clarity becomes a strategic asset,” Whitney Munro, founder and CEO of communications, strategy, and consulting firm FLEX Partners, wrote in a February LinkedIn post. “If you can’t clearly explain what your technology does, how it works, and how it safeguards people, scale becomes harder—and exposure becomes higher.”

In fact, a survey by the American Psychological Association shows people who worried AI will make their jobs obsolete are far more likely to feel tense or stressed at work even though most don’t have a detailed understanding of how AI tools actually function in their workplace. 

And that’s where high-level communications roles at tech- or AI-focused companies can help. 

“When you’re building technology powerful enough to reshape industries, communication isn’t simply marketing,” Munro added. “It becomes risk management, regulatory positioning, investor confidence, internal alignment, and public trust, all at once.”

Why are communications professionals in-demand in the AI era?

With such high-stakes roles comes a heftier salary. While the average communications director salary in the U.S. is about $110,000, according to ZipRecruiter, tech companies are placing a much higher premium on their communications professionals because they understand how much is at stake. Meanwhile, many of these high-paying roles require more than a decade of experience, according to job postings. 

These executives are charged with defining the overarching story a company tells about AI to investors, regulators, customers, employees, and the broader public. That can mean responsibilities ranging from framing the risks and benefits of powerful AI models, to crafting executive speeches and social media posts as well as pressure-testing language in blog posts that might move markets or trigger regulatory scrutiny. The roles demand people who are comfortable in boardrooms or on background calls with reporters, and who can interrogate dense technical work, then translate it into plain English without losing nuance.

Noah Greenberg, CEO of content distribution platform Stacker, posts a weekly roundup of high-paying journalism and communications roles, and has chronicled how prevalent these jobs have recently become. It’s not just tech companies that are hiring high-level communications personnel: Many brands are investing in securing their own in-house journalists or “storytellers” to strategically cover their own company’s story. 

While they’re not all offering $1 million salaries, many are hiring in the six-figure salary range, which can be a much better earning opportunity for journalists looking to make the move into a corporate role. He’s given examples of Hinge hiring an editorial director for up to $223,000, Ramp hiring a head of content with a $200,000-plus salary, and Adobe hiring an “AI evangelist,” also with a $200,000-plus salary.

“The reality is, this is (one big part of) the future of media,” Greenberg wrote in a January LinkedIn post. “Brand journalism cannot/will not replace independent journalism, but in 2026, some of the best reporting/research/features about various industries will come from big + small companies in that space that are realizing being the media is better than waiting to be covered by it.”

The surge in pay reflects a pair of converging trends. First, generative AI has flooded the internet with lower-quality content, paradoxically boosting the value of a distinctive human voice and sharp editorial judgment. In a sea of AI-generated slop, companies are willing to pay a premium for professionals who can cut through the noise and build trust. Second, tech leaders increasingly see narrative as a strategic weapon, on par with product design or capital allocation. In an environment in which people scrutinize AI’s pitfalls, how a company tells its story can affect valuation, regulation, and talent recruitment.

“For businesses—the ability to consistently produce high-quality copy is a competitive moat that builds connection with customers, amplifies the performance of owned and earned channels, and drives topline,” Adam Joseph, CEO of AI-powered communications tech firm Clipbook, wrote in a LinkedIn post in February. “It’s a counterintuitive insight (shouldn’t good writing be commoditized with GenAI?). Flooding the bottom of the market has put a premium at the top.”

A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on February 23, 2026.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com