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Ask HN: How much does a senior engineer get at startup

15 points by tim_sw 17y ago

equity wise that is.. both pre-series A vs post-series A

dryicerx 17y ago
34.9% Not really, questions like this can never be answered directly; it depends on number of co-founders, what each person is/has contributed work and capital wise, what is the definition of senior engineer, what the investors want, ... so many factors.
- tlrobinson 17y ago
  I know you just picked a random number, but to be clear, it's wayyyy high.
dpcan 17y ago
If you actually have to ask this question ... stay corporate.
adw 17y ago
There's some data on VentureHacks, but really it depends.
brk 17y ago
Generally speaking, you should get a stock allocation equivalent to the value you will add to the team. If you are adding a 5% net increase in the value, you should get a 5% stock option allocation. Most likely you will be looking at numbers in the range of .25%-1%, give or take a bit. This will also depend on the total number of engineers likely to be hired during that funding round, and the background of the founders (founders who are more experienced will generally not give as much stock as founders who are less experienced).
mpk 17y ago
Not a lot. The founders get it all and later parcel out pieces to others, with investors taking the huge chunks. I'd say you're looking at some figure between 0.2% and 4.0% depending on when you sign. There's also a big difference in having shares or options. Then there's the dilution factor to take into account when new shares are issued (unless you have anti-dilution agreements in contract). If you have to ask this question at all, you're probably new to the game. It always boils down to 'it depends'. Every situation is different. Ask around and everybody will tell you something different. Most of them will give you very stupid and aggressive advice. If the startup was founded yesterday and has no tech but you already have it and are bringing it in to the company you're in a very different position than where you're being brought in as the person who might be able to develop it. Ask around (like you're doing here) and decide what you want out of the deal. Do you want a decent salary? A position where you can do some new work and vastly broaden your experience? Maybe you want to take a gamble on a web startup that maybe, just maybe will make you rich in a few years (or more likely - out of a job with no savings if things don't pan out)? Lots of factors to consider. Get some feedback and mull it all over is my advice.
jaspertheghost 17y ago
It's hard to tell. For salary info go to: glassdoor.com
siong1987 17y ago
http://www.paulgraham.com/equity.html http://www.paulgraham.com/equity.html You can read the article as a reference. But, the real answer is: It depends.
tptacek 17y ago
As much as that senior engineer is able to acquire through skillful negotiation, probably not exceeding 1-2% in a company on the VC track.
rubayeet 17y ago
As a senior developer in a start up, I'll have to say good enough. But then again it depends on the founders' attitude a lot.

15 points by tim_sw 17y ago

equity wise that is.. both pre-series A vs post-series A

34.9% Not really, questions like this can never be answered directly; it depends on number of co-founders, what each person is/has contributed work and capital wise, what is the definition of senior engineer, what the investors want, ... so many factors.

tlrobinson 17y ago
I know you just picked a random number, but to be clear, it's wayyyy high.

dpcan 17y ago

If you actually have to ask this question ... stay corporate.

adw 17y ago

There's some data on VentureHacks, but really it depends.

brk 17y ago

Generally speaking, you should get a stock allocation equivalent to the value you will add to the team. If you are adding a 5% net increase in the value, you should get a 5% stock option allocation. Most likely you will be looking at numbers in the range of .25%-1%, give or take a bit. This will also depend on the total number of engineers likely to be hired during that funding round, and the background of the founders (founders who are more experienced will generally not give as much stock as founders who are less experienced).

mpk 17y ago

Not a lot. The founders get it all and later parcel out pieces to others, with investors taking the huge chunks. I'd say you're looking at some figure between 0.2% and 4.0% depending on when you sign. There's also a big difference in having shares or options. Then there's the dilution factor to take into account when new shares are issued (unless you have anti-dilution agreements in contract). If you have to ask this question at all, you're probably new to the game. It always boils down to 'it depends'. Every situation is different. Ask around and everybody will tell you something different. Most of them will give you very stupid and aggressive advice. If the startup was founded yesterday and has no tech but you already have it and are bringing it in to the company you're in a very different position than where you're being brought in as the person who might be able to develop it. Ask around (like you're doing here) and decide what you want out of the deal. Do you want a decent salary? A position where you can do some new work and vastly broaden your experience? Maybe you want to take a gamble on a web startup that maybe, just maybe will make you rich in a few years (or more likely - out of a job with no savings if things don't pan out)? Lots of factors to consider. Get some feedback and mull it all over is my advice.

jaspertheghost 17y ago

It's hard to tell. For salary info go to: glassdoor.com

siong1987 17y ago

http://www.paulgraham.com/equity.html http://www.paulgraham.com/equity.html You can read the article as a reference. But, the real answer is: It depends.

tptacek 17y ago

As much as that senior engineer is able to acquire through skillful negotiation, probably not exceeding 1-2% in a company on the VC track.

rubayeet 17y ago

As a senior developer in a start up, I'll have to say good enough. But then again it depends on the founders' attitude a lot.