Earlier quoted context omitted.
I thought FAANG weren't hiring 35-year-olds?
There are tons of 35 year olds at FAANG and they do hire a lot of people who are currently 35 too.
Correct. The hard threshold is 40.
Downsides to working at a tech giant
581–583 of 583 posts
Re: Downsides to working at a tech giant
#582Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The reason why is the math changed. Very true. Making it even more unbalanced is that a startup exit may not be profitable to non-founders. I spent the first 17 years of my career at 3 different startups. Two were acquired and one is still chugging as a lifestyle business for the founder. The net value of my options (> 1% even after dilution in two of them) amounted to a $2000 capital loss due to there being no mone…
I think this is a really good argument as why graduated corporate taxes really need to be increased in the US. I'd be curious how productive you felt at each position and if you think the FAANG job is more difficult and stressful. I'd like to think that no matter which of these paths we chose - the more stressful and risky life or the more secure and corporate FAANG one - we'd all have a chance to live a decent life.…
> I'd be curious how productive you felt at each position
I definitely felt "more productive" at startups since my work felt like it had a bigger impact to the company.
> and if you think the FAANG job is more difficult and stressful.
So far, it feels no more difficult and is stressful in a different way. With a startup, there's the stress of worrying about the company going under. At the FAANG, there's the stress of performing at a high enough level to justify the compensation.
Re: Downsides to working at a tech giant
#583Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The reason why is the math changed. Very true. Making it even more unbalanced is that a startup exit may not be profitable to non-founders. I spent the first 17 years of my career at 3 different startups. Two were acquired and one is still chugging as a lifestyle business for the founder. The net value of my options (> 1% even after dilution in two of them) amounted to a $2000 capital loss due to there being no mone…
I'm interested in your transition, how did you go about the move from Startup Exec to working in a FANG?
The startup I was an exec at was acquired by a large (>$100B market cap) company. Going through that process and adjusting to life as a much smaller cog in a much bigger wheel was definitely educational. I was no longer "the boss" and had to work very closely with people that I had no authority over, possibly had different goals than me, and who were thousands of miles away. The startup skills of being lean, problem solving, leading people, etc. still applied, but building the skills to work in a bigger company environment was very important. Going through that experience definitely helps with my life here at a FAANG.