I think the point is that (using your example) you can get a 100K base, 400K stock, and the 175K signon at a different company. The point is that while Amazon

I think the point is that (using your example) you can get a 100K base, 400K stock, and the 175K signon at a different company. The point is that while Amazon may offer you a higher signon in lieue of equity, at other FAANGs the choice can be both. FWIW I've seen recently (in the past year or so) non-AMZN FAANG sign-ons well north of $200K (split over 2 years), along with a top-of-line stock package that vests linearly. Overall, AMZN's backloaded vesting schedule may be "evened out" via the use of generous signing bonuses, but ultimately is still uncompetitive with other FAANGs. More generally AMZN's TC - no matter which way you cut it - tends to trend lower than competing-tier peer companies.