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When I was doing it they claimed that $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area, and constantly pressured me to lower my rate to that. There were a few cl

by sidlls 7y ago

When I was doing it they claimed that $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area, and constantly pressured me to lower my rate to that. There were a few clients with names anyone here would recognize, but they were looking on Toptal specifically to get cheap labor for poorly specified work. Most of the clients were more like the stereotypical E-lance "small business" (read: one-person operation looking for cheap developers to build them the next Facebook for the equivalent of a $500 fixed fee).

jameslk 7y ago
I think they've definitely changed. I remember them low balling me on rate in the beginning. Also it depends on the recruiter you talk to. I'm definitely nowhere near $65/hr :)
aianus 7y ago
> $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area I'm confused, I thought Toptal workers were remote. Why would your location factor into the rate a client is willing to pay? FWIW I charged even less than that as a remote contractor and it goes really, really far in countries like Vietnam or Thailand.
- sidlls 7y ago
  My location wasn't the issue: I meant that Toptal was insisting companies located in the Bay Area would not want to pay more than about $65/hr (plus Toptal's surcharge). It was laughable, considering I was at that very moment working full-time at a company with a base salary with an hourly rate equivalent that was more than $65/hr, plus I got bonus, stock, and perks/benefits. As far as I was concerned, Toptal wanted contractors who'd bill like the were competing with E-lancers for business, while Toptal was marketing them as "top talent. "You get what you pay for," and while you (for example) might be an exception, "top talent" isn't going to charge bargain-bin prices for their labor.
  - aianus 7y ago
    > "top talent" isn't going to charge bargain-bin prices for their labor Purchasing power differences in the world are insane: $65/h in Vietnam can represent a much more luxurious life than $200/h in San Francisco. In fact, the global top 1% starts at US$35k/year! At $65/h ($130k/year) you'd be able to buy a home outright in about a year, send your kids to snooty private schools, hire a maid and a private driver, etc. in a large part of the world.
    - sidlls 7y ago
      That doesn't mean much: a top-flight developer in Vietnam isn't going to underprice his or herself to that degree just because it costs a little less. If one can live that good on $65/hr, then $80 or $100 is that much better.
baoha 7y ago
> $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area It's like $130k/year, I don't think you can even find an average engineer at this price

by sidlls 7y ago

jameslk 7y ago

I think they've definitely changed. I remember them low balling me on rate in the beginning. Also it depends on the recruiter you talk to. I'm definitely nowhere near $65/hr :)

aianus 7y ago

> $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area I'm confused, I thought Toptal workers were remote. Why would your location factor into the rate a client is willing to pay? FWIW I charged even less than that as a remote contractor and it goes really, really far in countries like Vietnam or Thailand.

sidlls 7y ago
My location wasn't the issue: I meant that Toptal was insisting companies located in the Bay Area would not want to pay more than about $65/hr (plus Toptal's surcharge). It was laughable, considering I was at that very moment working full-time at a company with a base salary with an hourly rate equivalent that was more than $65/hr, plus I got bonus, stock, and perks/benefits. As far as I was concerned, Toptal wanted contractors who'd bill like the were competing with E-lancers for business, while Toptal was marketing them as "top talent. "You get what you pay for," and while you (for example) might be an exception, "top talent" isn't going to charge bargain-bin prices for their labor.
- aianus 7y ago
  > "top talent" isn't going to charge bargain-bin prices for their labor Purchasing power differences in the world are insane: $65/h in Vietnam can represent a much more luxurious life than $200/h in San Francisco. In fact, the global top 1% starts at US$35k/year! At $65/h ($130k/year) you'd be able to buy a home outright in about a year, send your kids to snooty private schools, hire a maid and a private driver, etc. in a large part of the world.
  - sidlls 7y ago
    That doesn't mean much: a top-flight developer in Vietnam isn't going to underprice his or herself to that degree just because it costs a little less. If one can live that good on $65/hr, then $80 or $100 is that much better.

baoha 7y ago

> $65 per hour was a "good" rate for the Bay Area It's like $130k/year, I don't think you can even find an average engineer at this price