Just to add some concrete FAANG numbers for comparison... I started at BigCo four years ago as a SWE, after my phd in a not-cs hard science. My starting salary

Just to add some concrete FAANG numbers for comparison... I started at BigCo four years ago as a SWE, after my phd in a not-cs hard science. My starting salary was $130k, with about $30k for signing bonus and moving fees. At my first full year, I received an additional $60k in vesting equity, for about $200k total. Last year I made Senior SWE, which gave a bump to $165k base pay. Meanwhile, stock equity trickle has continued to grow, and looks like ~$100k this year. And an additional $40k from bonuses for performance, recruiting and general 'company has too much money' put the projected total for the year at about $300k pre-tax (and not including health or other benefits). I live afaict unusually frugally. I don't drive, live in a shared house, and don't have short humans to worry about. But I occasionally travel to interesting places and give ~$8-$10k a year to stuff I care about. After four years at BigCo, I've got about $450k in the bank+investments. So, not a million, but probably way better than I would have done with the startup scene... and it sounds like the one recruitment bonus I've gotten so far is better than most people ever see from a startup exit.