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Google doesn't even pay well enough to treat people poorly. They're wagering an awful lot on the premise that working for Google is prestigious enough to sustai

Google doesn't even pay well enough to treat people poorly. They're wagering an awful lot on the premise that working for Google is prestigious enough to sustainably attract and retain talent. Meanwhile a smaller tech startup will pay better and give you way more of a hand in shaping the product, and maybe even not work you 80+hours a week. I'm not sure what the appeal of the big names is for devs.

trevyn 7y ago
A smaller tech startup only pays better if you pick the right one and it has an exit. One appeal of the big names is exactly that — name recognition. It does a lot for the ego when everyone you meet knows that your employer provides free massages and a sushi bar for lunch.
- chadlavi 7y ago
  Free massages and sushi bars don't pay rent! And I'm not talking about mythical exit money, I'm talking about cold hard biweekly salary. I make more money at a small startup than it seems I would make at Google, for example.
  - jlokier 7y ago
    I think your situation is more unusual than you think. Small startups vary a lot in what they pay, and in what they can afford to pay. Mostly it's lower than FAANG pay.
  - mrep 7y ago
    You sure about that [0]? [0]: https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/
  - jeen02 7y ago
    95% of small tech startups won't pay anywhere near what Google would offer.
  - mav3rick 7y ago
    Maybe your offer at Google isn't the reality of all offers.
  - ummonk 7y ago
    Stock based compensation happens quarterly, which is frequent enough to be a regular stream of compensation (and you get a sign-on bonus when you start so you don't have to wait for liquidity either).
ggambetta 7y ago
> Google doesn't even pay well enough to treat people poorly. [...] Meanwhile a smaller tech startup will pay better [...] maybe even not work you 80+hours a week Having worked both at Google and at smaller tech startups, this is pretty much the opposite of reality. I wonder where are you getting these ideas from.
- chadlavi 7y ago
  Is google just particularly dogged about salary negotiations, then? The numbers I've seen for someone new to the org don't impress me relative to the competitive baseline. Maybe you have to ask way higher, or you have to come in at a high level already?
  - sidibe 7y ago
    Where do you see significantly better salaries? You might be ignoring the stock compensation which is basically like cash for an established stable company like Google
    - andreilys 7y ago
      This is actually a common complaint on Blind (anonymous social networking site). Google seems to consistently low ball relative to other companies (Facebook, Apple, uber, etc.) Obviously depends on the team/role but seems like google is trying to leverage its “prestigious brand” to pay less
      - chadlavi 7y ago
        exactly this.
- ummonk 7y ago
  He's right that Google doesn't generally pay competitively, but wrong in comparing to smaller startups. It's some of the larger companies (Facebook, LinkedIn, AirBnB, etc.) that Google tends to fall short of.

trevyn 7y ago

A smaller tech startup only pays better if you pick the right one and it has an exit. One appeal of the big names is exactly that — name recognition. It does a lot for the ego when everyone you meet knows that your employer provides free massages and a sushi bar for lunch.

chadlavi 7y ago
Free massages and sushi bars don't pay rent! And I'm not talking about mythical exit money, I'm talking about cold hard biweekly salary. I make more money at a small startup than it seems I would make at Google, for example.
- jlokier 7y ago
  I think your situation is more unusual than you think. Small startups vary a lot in what they pay, and in what they can afford to pay. Mostly it's lower than FAANG pay.
- mrep 7y ago
  You sure about that [0]? [0]: https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/ https://www.levels.fyi/salary/Google/
- jeen02 7y ago
  95% of small tech startups won't pay anywhere near what Google would offer.
- mav3rick 7y ago
  Maybe your offer at Google isn't the reality of all offers.
- ummonk 7y ago
  Stock based compensation happens quarterly, which is frequent enough to be a regular stream of compensation (and you get a sign-on bonus when you start so you don't have to wait for liquidity either).

ggambetta 7y ago

> Google doesn't even pay well enough to treat people poorly. [...] Meanwhile a smaller tech startup will pay better [...] maybe even not work you 80+hours a week Having worked both at Google and at smaller tech startups, this is pretty much the opposite of reality. I wonder where are you getting these ideas from.

chadlavi 7y ago
Is google just particularly dogged about salary negotiations, then? The numbers I've seen for someone new to the org don't impress me relative to the competitive baseline. Maybe you have to ask way higher, or you have to come in at a high level already?
- sidibe 7y ago
  Where do you see significantly better salaries? You might be ignoring the stock compensation which is basically like cash for an established stable company like Google
  - andreilys 7y ago
    This is actually a common complaint on Blind (anonymous social networking site). Google seems to consistently low ball relative to other companies (Facebook, Apple, uber, etc.) Obviously depends on the team/role but seems like google is trying to leverage its “prestigious brand” to pay less
    - chadlavi 7y ago
      exactly this.
ummonk 7y ago
He's right that Google doesn't generally pay competitively, but wrong in comparing to smaller startups. It's some of the larger companies (Facebook, LinkedIn, AirBnB, etc.) that Google tends to fall short of.