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One of the things that I love about working for Netflix is that they just pay you every 2 weeks and that's basically it. There are no RSUs that are stacking u

One of the things that I love about working for Netflix is that they just pay you every 2 weeks and that's basically it. There are no RSUs that are stacking up, no yearly bonus, etc. No smoke and mirrors. No internal websites to calculate the value of your compensation like at Google. I remember how much trouble the yearly bonuses caused when I worked at Google. In the fall, some people would become much less active and turn from top performers into dead wood while they hung around, waiting for the yearly bonus payout in Jan.

oblio 5y ago
Why would they become less active in the fall? Wouldn't it make sense for them to be less active after January?
- drewg123 5y ago
  There was a mental perception that if you left just a "few" months from the yearly bonus payout, you were leaving money on the table. So people would normally leave in the spring and summer, but try to stick it out until the bonus if they were thinking about leaving in Oct. or later, since it was only 3 more months..
  - walshemj 5y ago
    Its the same in finance
walshemj 5y ago
The opposite side is two of my ex employers (one from 20 years ago) shares are still paying tax fee dividends in my ISA and increasing in value.
- toast0 5y ago
  If you work for a company that pays you cash money only, you can buy their shares in a brokerage account (taxable or tax-advantaged). If you work for a company that does RSUs, you have to wait for vesting, and it's not consistent money; it's nice when the stock price is going up, and it's not nothing when it's going down like options are, but if it's a publically traded company, why not just pay me the $x/year in dollars and I'll do what I think is right. (Which, for me, isn't going to be holding the stock of my employer directly; I've got enough exposure to them through my paycheck and index funds, thanks.)
  - walshemj 5y ago
    Tax efficiency, leverage and more $$ - they wont pay you real $ in replacement for options. Though the UK's a bit better I never paid any income tax, dividend tax or cgt. Even my top of the line EMI I am only paying 10% CGT if it pays out
rickspencer3 5y ago
From what I have seen, if you can be well paid, and put a significant portion of your salary into index funds, over the years, you will generate a modest nest egg, and have choices in your late middle age or retirement. This is a different path than betting on a startup you joined, and hoping that your options end up paying out, but, it is not a bad path.
- titanomachy 5y ago
  That's true, if by "late middle age" you mean 38 years old. Netflix pays very well.
  - rickspencer3 5y ago
    That's not what I meant, but congrats :)
    - titanomachy 5y ago
      I don’t work at Netflix :)

oblio 5y ago

Why would they become less active in the fall? Wouldn't it make sense for them to be less active after January?

drewg123 5y ago
There was a mental perception that if you left just a "few" months from the yearly bonus payout, you were leaving money on the table. So people would normally leave in the spring and summer, but try to stick it out until the bonus if they were thinking about leaving in Oct. or later, since it was only 3 more months..
- walshemj 5y ago
  Its the same in finance

walshemj 5y ago

The opposite side is two of my ex employers (one from 20 years ago) shares are still paying tax fee dividends in my ISA and increasing in value.

toast0 5y ago
If you work for a company that pays you cash money only, you can buy their shares in a brokerage account (taxable or tax-advantaged). If you work for a company that does RSUs, you have to wait for vesting, and it's not consistent money; it's nice when the stock price is going up, and it's not nothing when it's going down like options are, but if it's a publically traded company, why not just pay me the $x/year in dollars and I'll do what I think is right. (Which, for me, isn't going to be holding the stock of my employer directly; I've got enough exposure to them through my paycheck and index funds, thanks.)
- walshemj 5y ago
  Tax efficiency, leverage and more $$ - they wont pay you real $ in replacement for options. Though the UK's a bit better I never paid any income tax, dividend tax or cgt. Even my top of the line EMI I am only paying 10% CGT if it pays out

rickspencer3 5y ago

From what I have seen, if you can be well paid, and put a significant portion of your salary into index funds, over the years, you will generate a modest nest egg, and have choices in your late middle age or retirement. This is a different path than betting on a startup you joined, and hoping that your options end up paying out, but, it is not a bad path.

titanomachy 5y ago
That's true, if by "late middle age" you mean 38 years old. Netflix pays very well.
- rickspencer3 5y ago
  That's not what I meant, but congrats :)
  - titanomachy 5y ago
    I don’t work at Netflix :)