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 a

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.