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Not that big a deal to correct the inflation later. I joined a startup fourteen years ago as the first employee and it was initially “software architect” on my

Not that big a deal to correct the inflation later. I joined a startup fourteen years ago as the first employee and it was initially “software architect” on my business cards; later that was revised down to senior engineer when an actual ladder was put in place.

sroussey 2y ago
For a management and executive position, it is a bit more perilous. A hired CTO at a startup is often really a tech lead. Not always. Better to use a vague “head of xyz” in such cases. Vague and easily transformed. You see second and third time founders do that. Title inflation is fun and cheaper than cash. But not really transferable. For example, I had a friend, which was a founder CTO and a team of 15 and wanted to be a director at Facebook. I asked him how he would deal with leveling questions for other managers and their engineers. His company hadn’t implemented ladders yet (no need at that size) and had no idea what I was talking about.
- dartos 2y ago
  I also have no idea what you’re talking about. (Im a senior software dev) What are leveling questions and ladders?
  - red-iron-pine 2y ago
    how do you structure compensation and seniority -- and how do you define the skillsets and experience that are required to sit in those levels? and then how do you hire / fire / promote / retain those people? when you're working at the VP and CTO level of a big org that's something you think about. especially when you're transitioning from a small startup where everyone's title is made up, to a 100-300+ body org with real structure and organization.
  - sroussey 2y ago
    Software engineer II, for example. It’s a title and salary range (sometimes with an adjustment for location). A leveling question is a promotion question: you believe that you deserve to be at a different level and this a different pay range. A additional wrinkle: When a company initially does leveling, there is a lot of jockeying for the right one, and not everyone may quite fit (a lower level than your salary implies).

sroussey 2y ago

For a management and executive position, it is a bit more perilous. A hired CTO at a startup is often really a tech lead. Not always. Better to use a vague “head of xyz” in such cases. Vague and easily transformed. You see second and third time founders do that. Title inflation is fun and cheaper than cash. But not really transferable. For example, I had a friend, which was a founder CTO and a team of 15 and wanted to be a director at Facebook. I asked him how he would deal with leveling questions for other managers and their engineers. His company hadn’t implemented ladders yet (no need at that size) and had no idea what I was talking about.

dartos 2y ago
I also have no idea what you’re talking about. (Im a senior software dev) What are leveling questions and ladders?
- red-iron-pine 2y ago
  how do you structure compensation and seniority -- and how do you define the skillsets and experience that are required to sit in those levels? and then how do you hire / fire / promote / retain those people? when you're working at the VP and CTO level of a big org that's something you think about. especially when you're transitioning from a small startup where everyone's title is made up, to a 100-300+ body org with real structure and organization.
- sroussey 2y ago
  Software engineer II, for example. It’s a title and salary range (sometimes with an adjustment for location). A leveling question is a promotion question: you believe that you deserve to be at a different level and this a different pay range. A additional wrinkle: When a company initially does leveling, there is a lot of jockeying for the right one, and not everyone may quite fit (a lower level than your salary implies).