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All I have to contribute is that I agree. As someone trying to hire engineers, I genuinely don't understand how companies can get away with such paltry offers.

All I have to contribute is that I agree. As someone trying to hire engineers, I genuinely don't understand how companies can get away with such paltry offers. Probably the most ludicrous to me is Buffer's ridiculously low pay: https://open.bufferapp.com/introducing-open-salaries-at-buffer-including-our-transparent-formula-and-all-individual-salaries/ https://open.bufferapp.com/introducing-open-salaries-at-buff... I'm offering a minimum of $125k with significant equity in a well-positioned company, but I rarely see good engineers interviewing. Yet somehow these other companies are building engineering teams for way less. Ultimately, I think it comes to developers way over-valuing hype. Appearing on Hacker News regularly, or showing up in Techcrunch a lot, or getting funded by YC, can apparently provide an automatic $50k bonus on all salaries you offer.

michaelbuckbee 12y ago
In Buffer's defense they are all remote and they seem to have rather sane cost of living factors built in.
- morgante 12y ago
  I don't know if that's much of a defense. Even in SF (an "A" location), they seem to be paying below market: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgrWVeoG5divdE81a2wzcHYxV1pacWE1UjM3V0w0MUE&usp=drive_web#gid=1 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgrWVeoG5divdE8...
  - raquo 12y ago
    There is visibly less competition for remote workers because fewer companies hire that way, so yeah, that could explain lower salaries at least in part.
  - carrotleads 12y ago
    Interesting to see that engineer's get paid less than content and happiness heros. The blame for that rests with the senior engineers and not the graduate or middle level ones...
rjvir 12y ago
"Hype" could just be a confounding variable - a side effect of just generally being an attractive place to work at. Perhaps they aren't over-valuing hype per se, but instead valuing companies they think will be successful. Many companies that will succeed happen to have a lot of hype (although obviously hype isn't the best indicator).

michaelbuckbee 12y ago

In Buffer's defense they are all remote and they seem to have rather sane cost of living factors built in.

morgante 12y ago
I don't know if that's much of a defense. Even in SF (an "A" location), they seem to be paying below market: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgrWVeoG5divdE81a2wzcHYxV1pacWE1UjM3V0w0MUE&usp=drive_web#gid=1 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgrWVeoG5divdE8...
- raquo 12y ago
  There is visibly less competition for remote workers because fewer companies hire that way, so yeah, that could explain lower salaries at least in part.
- carrotleads 12y ago
  Interesting to see that engineer's get paid less than content and happiness heros. The blame for that rests with the senior engineers and not the graduate or middle level ones...

rjvir 12y ago

"Hype" could just be a confounding variable - a side effect of just generally being an attractive place to work at. Perhaps they aren't over-valuing hype per se, but instead valuing companies they think will be successful. Many companies that will succeed happen to have a lot of hype (although obviously hype isn't the best indicator).