3 ms·

I hadn't looked at this from that perspective. That's a great point! =) The only thing I'd add is that 5-10 years ago, a startup salary was a big cut from a Bi

I hadn't looked at this from that perspective. That's a great point! =) The only thing I'd add is that 5-10 years ago, a startup salary was a big cut from a BigCo salary. Like maybe 30-50% lower. These days, the difference between a startup salary and a Google salary might be something like $125k vs $150k -- and $125k is already enough money for taking vacations or having a down payment after 5-10 years of saving. Perhaps if there's a downturn, startup salaries will become low again, but that's not the case right now.

seattle_spring 11y ago
That's not quite the whole story though. Sure, base salary might be $125k vs $150k, but in reality it'd be: - Startup: $125k base salary, small potential for an OK payout but a large potential that you'll take away that salary and nothing more after 4 years. - BigCo: $150k salary, $200k RSU over 4 years, 15% bonus every year Not counting the inevitable refreshers, bonus multipliers, raises, etc, you're really looking at $500k / 4 yr at a startup vs $890k from bigco. That's not an insignificant difference, and I feel like I'm being pretty conservative with the BigCo numbers.