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What's a 'maximum base' pay? Is that the max salary someone with the right credentials could earn in an entry level position?

hamburglar 5y ago
It’s the max salary rate for a given level according to company policies. Once you hit this, no matter how well you do they’ll try to tell you you can’t get a raise unless you get a promotion. Of course, this matters little since they will be shoveling RSUs at you if they want to keep you.
- hamburglar 5y ago
  Oh yeah, and mirroring other comments, this is the max base for the highest level in this case, so it is the max max. And also it’s never really true that they can’t exceed it. Everything is negotiable if you’re hot enough shit.
pavlov 5y ago
No, it's the maximum base pay for all positions. Beyond entry level, most of the compensation at Amazon and other FAANGs is in the form of stock awards (RSUs). So a senior engineer might have a $160k annual salary and $300k worth of RSUs vesting that year, making for $460k total compensation. In an environment of rising stock prices, this is a cost-effective way for a large company to pay high salaries because the stock that's worth $300k today was only worth, say, $150k when it was originally granted, and that's the price that Amazon effectively paid in its earnings deductions at that time.
argc 5y ago
No, its just the maximum cash base that amazon will pay anyone, at any level (perhaps without a VP approval, or something). RSU's and cash bonuses are not included, so it does not reflect total comp. E.g. someone might have 160k base and 500k total comp, including their RSUs.
darknavi 5y ago
Previously you could not make more than ~$160k in salary at Amazon at any level. Now they are raising the cap.
- coredog64 5y ago
  AIUI, the 160 max only applied below L8.
  - brocklobsta 5y ago
    Nope, L5 here (SDE II) and my base is currently 185. I breached 160 in march of this year. I am confused where the 160 number came in. Maybe Lab126 has different pay bands?
    - yftsui 5y ago
      185k cap is for high cost of living area, 160k for the rest. You may be either in California or NYC.

hamburglar 5y ago

It’s the max salary rate for a given level according to company policies. Once you hit this, no matter how well you do they’ll try to tell you you can’t get a raise unless you get a promotion. Of course, this matters little since they will be shoveling RSUs at you if they want to keep you.

hamburglar 5y ago
Oh yeah, and mirroring other comments, this is the max base for the highest level in this case, so it is the max max. And also it’s never really true that they can’t exceed it. Everything is negotiable if you’re hot enough shit.

pavlov 5y ago

No, it's the maximum base pay for all positions. Beyond entry level, most of the compensation at Amazon and other FAANGs is in the form of stock awards (RSUs). So a senior engineer might have a $160k annual salary and $300k worth of RSUs vesting that year, making for $460k total compensation. In an environment of rising stock prices, this is a cost-effective way for a large company to pay high salaries because the stock that's worth $300k today was only worth, say, $150k when it was originally granted, and that's the price that Amazon effectively paid in its earnings deductions at that time.

argc 5y ago

No, its just the maximum cash base that amazon will pay anyone, at any level (perhaps without a VP approval, or something). RSU's and cash bonuses are not included, so it does not reflect total comp. E.g. someone might have 160k base and 500k total comp, including their RSUs.

darknavi 5y ago

Previously you could not make more than ~$160k in salary at Amazon at any level. Now they are raising the cap.

coredog64 5y ago
AIUI, the 160 max only applied below L8.
- brocklobsta 5y ago
  Nope, L5 here (SDE II) and my base is currently 185. I breached 160 in march of this year. I am confused where the 160 number came in. Maybe Lab126 has different pay bands?
  - yftsui 5y ago
    185k cap is for high cost of living area, 160k for the rest. You may be either in California or NYC.