Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level • Hacker News Board

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#121

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:09 AM UTC

stubish wrote: post #107

Waterluvian wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, thanks. Now I wonder how many of these jobs are 100% work from home. I'm not sure a salary doubling could take me away from my family and into commuting an hour a day. But I mean, if they're going to pay me to engineer in my pyjamas, sure! =)

None of them are 100% work from home. Work from home pays work-from-home market rates, not high end silicon valley rates. There will be some, but they will have negotiated a switch from office work to remote work after a few years, or have hard to source specialist skills.

[deleted]

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#122

Post by pmiller2 » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:10 AM UTC

Waterluvian wrote: post #3

I do the job of a senior engineer and yet am paid a bit less than what's listed for an entry level engineer. And I live an incredibly comfy life. What's the catch? Are these for more than 40 hours a week? Is silicon valley really that expensive? Or are they literally giving college grads enough money to retire by 35?

> ...enough money to retire by 35?

You have to keep in mind that a 1br apartment in a second tier area will run you like $2k, and that will not be an especially nice apartment. That seriously cuts into the "retire in 10 years" plan.

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#123

Post by vosper » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:11 AM UTC

chirau wrote: post #54

vosper wrote: post #12

I get Airbnb and Stripe being up there for entry-level engineers, those companies are almost printing money. But Lyft, haemorrhaging money, is top of the list, and Oracle - the company no-one in the Bay Area or on HN seems to work for, and everyone seems to hate - is 5th? Are there legions of quietly-well-paid Oracle engineers out there just keeping their heads down and getting on with the job? Why isn't Oracle in th…

I know a number of people at Oracle, senior engineers mostly. They are not the online forum aficionados. They do their work, get paid go home to their family, plan vacations just like most other folks out of the tech industry. Very industrious and well deservedly compensated, if I do say so myself. Not just Oracle folks either, there are plenty of companies that are not buzzing or on everybody's lips but treat their…

Thanks, this makes sense to me. It’s a good reminder of the boundaries of my personal bubble. I’ve always figured there must be a bunch of Oracle engineers out there (there just has to be) and wondered why I’d never met one in the Bay. 99% chance this says more about me and my network / social circle than anything else. I’m happy that Oracle engineers are getting paid well and (hopefully!) getting on with enjoying their lives :)

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#124

Post by eclipxe » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:13 AM UTC

milesskorpen wrote: post #115

eclipxe wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, these are roughly inline with new hire offers

At all of the five listed levels?

Yes

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#125

Post by ping_pong » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:13 AM UTC

throwaway34343 wrote: post #26

I was a manager at one of these companies and my L5s were making half of what this thing says. Don't trust everything you read on the internet.

This is false. I'm friends with many people across many companies, and we all openly share salary information, including RSUs. The numbers are fairly close, there's no way it's off by half. The biggest difference is Netflix, I would have expected them to be higher. Their biggest difference is they pay cash, and the culture is either you fit in and are extremely happy, or you're terrified of getting fired and you are within less than 6 months.

This is the biggest difference between now and 15-20 years ago. Before it used to be a secret but now everyone shares the data.

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#126

Post by burfog » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:16 AM UTC

destitude wrote: post #60

tempire wrote: post #5

If this is for real, _everyone_ I know is getting completely screwed. I have a hard time believing any of these numbers. If I earned any of these amounts for 2-3 years, I could live off the interest for the rest of my life.

Many companies hope that engineers don't know their value or that they simply aren't willing to relocate near one of the tech hubs. A trick of startups is to woo you with stock options which almost never amount to any value. You also have to watch out for REMOTE work where many companies seem to place an excessive $ on the "privilege" of working from home.

I'm willing to relocate for better pay so that I can afford nice things.

I want to have a place where I have room for a chicken coop (30 chickens) and a 1-acre fish pond. I'm willing to commute by car for a maximum of 15 minutes. A slightly longer commute might be OK if I can afford to commute by horse and the employer doesn't mind.

Which tech hub should I move to?

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#127

Post by hawaiianbrah » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:17 AM UTC

andreilys wrote: post #29

Waterluvian wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, thanks. Now I wonder how many of these jobs are 100% work from home. I'm not sure a salary doubling could take me away from my family and into commuting an hour a day. But I mean, if they're going to pay me to engineer in my pyjamas, sure! =)

Remote work at FANG is possible but usually earned through a niche in-demand skill set or years at the company.

Or finding the right team within!

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#128

Post by slavapestov » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:18 AM UTC

HenryKissinger wrote: post #52

$175,000 at Oracle for an entry-level engineer? I mean... just... wow. You could retire at 35 and not have to work for the rest of your life. How hard is it to get these jobs?

> You could retire at 35 and not have to work for the rest of your life.

Why does everyone on this site want to “retire by 35”? I don’t know anyone who retired (or plans to retire) at 35. Besides, hand-waving about “basic financial literacy” aside, doing so would require living like a broke college student from age 22 to 35, and then moving to an RV in Nebraska to live out the rest of your natural life in “retirement”. What the fuck is the point?

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#129

Post by stubish » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:22 AM UTC

glglwty wrote: post #10

typest wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is not necessarily a catch. Pay is not based on cost of living -- it's set by market rates, and the market rate for software engineers in these areas who can do the jobs required at these companies is high. All these companies operate at an immense scale where an engineer, through what is often a simple change, can add significant value to the company. So, yes. For now, these companies are giving college grads…

A senior position in the doc will probably get you ~2M in savings by 35. How do you retire with that?

With no or self-sustaining offspring, you can retire on $US2M in savings just about anywhere in the world; not silicon valley and a handful of similar locations. Most of the world, including many places you would consider holiday resorts and amazing places to live, is quite achievable if you stay away from boats, fast cars and gambling. Its how people doing the same job in other cities get by earning half as much.

Re: Top Paying Tech Companies by SWE Level

#130

Post by plorkyeran » Mon, Jan 06, 2020, 6:33 AM UTC

slavapestov wrote: post #128

HenryKissinger wrote: post #52

$175,000 at Oracle for an entry-level engineer? I mean... just... wow. You could retire at 35 and not have to work for the rest of your life. How hard is it to get these jobs?

> You could retire at 35 and not have to work for the rest of your life. Why does everyone on this site want to “retire by 35”? I don’t know anyone who retired (or plans to retire) at 35. Besides, hand-waving about “basic financial literacy” aside, doing so would require living like a broke college student from age 22 to 35, and then moving to an RV in Nebraska to live out the rest of your natural life in “retirement…

I don't want to retire at 35, but I would like to be able to if I burn out, can't find a job, or whatever. Not having to work ever again (but choosing to continue to work) eliminates a lot of sources of stress for me.