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Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

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Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#91

I would like to see one of these analysis break down base salary versus total compensation. I have never received less than 95% of my total compensation in base salary. Neither has my non-technical wife. I have no idea what is "normal" in that respect. I'd also like to see a breakdown by market, as I have been led to believe that my salary is only slightly below market for Dallas, but the median compensation numbers…

It's hard to compute non-base compensation precisely, because stock price is inherently volatile, especially over four years. If your vesting schedule includes absolute numbers of shares you will receive in 1, 2, 3, 4 years, you cannot possibly predict the value of those shares, and therefore cannot reliably measure your per-year compensation.

For example, if you knew four years ago that you would receive 30 GOOG stock in 2016, you would assume in 2012 that would mean a $10k bonus. But now the stock has gone from $325 to $754, the bonus is actually $22k.

If you work for a company with an increasing stock price, then stock based compensation can also create the illusion that your "salary" is increasing each year, even if you get no promotion.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could buy it yourself for a lot cheaper than you pay for it in taxes. The taxes you pay are buying healthcare for people who cannot afford it. (EDIT: I'm certainly not saying this is a bad thing.)

Of course, the USA is an example of that Except it isn't, anything you want to do there is ridiculously expensive

In the USA, Obamacare has increased the price of healthcare so much that you might effectively pay a penalty for purchasing your own healthcare.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#93
post #47
post #3

Is it a case of only people making the most money are more apt to report their earnings?

The numbers don't seem obviously way off when compared to the numbers of folks I know. This is with the caveat that, for example, I don't know the compensation of that many people who are T6 at Google or at Amazon at any level. The only thing that looks off is that the numbers for Microsoft look low. Why would that be? I suspect that's more because the pool of people I know is biased than because the pool that posted…

> Once word gets around that the best way to get a fair raise is to interview elsewhere, people start interviewing elsewhere, and some of the people who interview are going to leave, even if that wasn't their original intent.

Isn't that true pretty much everywhere?

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#95
post #87

Amazon keeps asking me to interview and everyone tells me it's a terrible place to work. After seeing this compensation via equity I'm thinking it might be worth it. Anyone work at Amazon and loves it or think it's really worth it?

Most teams require some on-call time every month or two. That's a big factor for me—I value my sleep. Additionally, last time I interviewed there they did not have remote work in any form. If you get a 2am page, you have to drive in to the office. (And you have to commute.)

The second part is not true in my experience at all.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#96
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but healthcare education and pensions ;) That tax is buying us stuff.

You could buy it yourself for a lot cheaper than you pay for it in taxes. The taxes you pay are buying healthcare for people who cannot afford it. (EDIT: I'm certainly not saying this is a bad thing.)

>The taxes you pay are buying healthcare for people who cannot afford it.

That's great! I wouldn't way to be one of the few people able to afford healthcare in a world full of sick people who can't afford to get well...

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#97
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but healthcare education and pensions ;) That tax is buying us stuff.

You could buy it yourself for a lot cheaper than you pay for it in taxes. The taxes you pay are buying healthcare for people who cannot afford it. (EDIT: I'm certainly not saying this is a bad thing.)

I was on a small trip recently. The 10 euros I gave to someone else was the best money I've spent in a while. I got a lot more from spending it that way than in any other I could imagine.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#100
Google engineers would certainly like to think that.

In reality, Google's hiring process selects for people who can follow instructions and are happy trading self-sufficiency and independence for the social validation that comes with working for such an "elite" company. Google engineers are some of the most sheep-like creatures on the planet.

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