Salary is a function of so many things. Random stuff from my experience: - People hired when the company needs a lot of new staff at once are paid more than pe

Salary is a function of so many things. Random stuff from my experience: - People hired when the company needs a lot of new staff at once are paid more than people hired to do same job in normal times. Basic demand/offer law. - Somebody will negotiate more cash vs less stock options. - I was able to get some extra money many years ago because for that new job I had to commute from a longer distance (10 minutes walking vs 1 hour metro or car). Extra costs -> extra money. - Some people have pay rises because of what they did (deserved or undeserved, I won't get into that.)