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First, congratulations. Second, unless you know for certain otherwise, do not assume that just because the company "has some traction" that they are immediately

First, congratulations. Second, unless you know for certain otherwise, do not assume that just because the company "has some traction" that they are immediately able to "offer competitive salary". With that said, there is just not enough information given here to give you an answer. There is a lot to consider: 1. Location - salary depends on where you are located. What a software engineer in San Francisco makes compared to a software engineer in Florida are going to be two different numbers. You need to take into account your cost of living. 2. Benefits - what other benefits does the company offer and how good are they? 3. Equity - are you a gambler and willing to take a lower salary in return for more equity? On the other hand, don't put all your eggs in one basket here. Just because you may get a large equity stake, doesn't guarantee that the company will have a big exit and you will make millions. 4. Role - just because you are the first technical guy and are able to start building a team, doesn't always guarantee that you will be the leader of that team down the road. Also, is the company bringing you on as an employee or a co-founder. While not much difference at this point probably, could play into how your employment agreement is constructed, salary, equity, benefits, etc... 5. Stability - are you willing to give up stability with a big company for startup life. I am not knocking startups by any means (I would never go back to big name tech company), but at the same time they are not for everyone. There is risk involved and while the prospects may sound great and you are enamored by what you read about startups, it is not all fun and games. Long hours, missed family time, unbalanced work/life, etc... 6. Is the company funded or are they bootstrapping? Are the founders experienced or is this their first time?

ychnthrowaway 11y ago
wow so many great feedbacks! It does make me think something I never thought about before. 1. Location: I'm aware of this issue, by "competitive" I mean as compared to my current job, after factor in the location aspect. 2. Benefits: this could be tough, I could be wrong but since the company is so small, it seems the only "benefit" they could offer now would be money. But I guess benefits can be translated into money as well, and factored into the total package. 3. Equity: this is the part I don't understand much, even if I'm given certain percentage of the company, it can be easily diluted in later rounds, right? Also, if the company never goes public, what's the equity for? Given all the other randomness involved, it seems I don't have much control over this anyways, so why bother? I know it sounds stupid to not ask for equity, but I just can't see what benefit I can get from it. 4. Role: you are right there's no guarantee I'll keep the role forever. And I don't think I'll be joining as a co-founder either. But I think negotiating a title, and solidify the responsibility in the contract could be a start good enough for me. 5. Stability: while I'm not a fresh grad with years to burn anymore, I still consider myself young enough to make the jump. It will be tough, but if I'm not doing it now, I'll never be able do it ever. :) 6. The company is funded, and the founders are experienced, and already have some success under their belt before this. That's partially the reason why I'm even considering it at all. Thanks!

ychnthrowaway 11y ago

wow so many great feedbacks! It does make me think something I never thought about before. 1. Location: I'm aware of this issue, by "competitive" I mean as compared to my current job, after factor in the location aspect. 2. Benefits: this could be tough, I could be wrong but since the company is so small, it seems the only "benefit" they could offer now would be money. But I guess benefits can be translated into money as well, and factored into the total package. 3. Equity: this is the part I don't understand much, even if I'm given certain percentage of the company, it can be easily diluted in later rounds, right? Also, if the company never goes public, what's the equity for? Given all the other randomness involved, it seems I don't have much control over this anyways, so why bother? I know it sounds stupid to not ask for equity, but I just can't see what benefit I can get from it. 4. Role: you are right there's no guarantee I'll keep the role forever. And I don't think I'll be joining as a co-founder either. But I think negotiating a title, and solidify the responsibility in the contract could be a start good enough for me. 5. Stability: while I'm not a fresh grad with years to burn anymore, I still consider myself young enough to make the jump. It will be tough, but if I'm not doing it now, I'll never be able do it ever. :) 6. The company is funded, and the founders are experienced, and already have some success under their belt before this. That's partially the reason why I'm even considering it at all. Thanks!