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The article makes a point to say that he started with a job that paid a "humble" $60,000 per year in 1997. Based on my quick and dirty run on wolfram alpha, that is the equivalent to $120,000 per year today. Not so much of a humble beginning for a second job out of college.
The article makes a point to say that he started with a job that paid a "humble" $60,000 per year in 1997. Based on my quick and dirty run on wolfram alpha, that is the equivalent to $120,000 per year today. Not so much of a humble beginning for a second job out of college.
What? That can't possibly be right. BLS says it's more like $86k http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=60000&year1...
Does anyone know if these types of $100M numbers are actually true? I think it makes a great headline but wouldn't everyone at senior ranks get packages like this making it unsustainable?
But if Google pays an average engineer on the order of $100,000 , this is 1000 times the average annual salary as a one time bonus.
That seems exceptional, certainly, but not completely insane.
On the flip side, it might keep a certain type of engineer for bolting for a startup. Even the most optimistic entrepreneur knows the odds of a $100 M payday are pretty much non-existent.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What? That can't possibly be right. BLS says it's more like $86k http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=60000&year1...
Was just about to post that exact link. Still not too shabby.
The article makes a point to say that he started with a job that paid a "humble" $60,000 per year in 1997. Based on my quick and dirty run on wolfram alpha, that is the equivalent to $120,000 per year today. Not so much of a humble beginning for a second job out of college.
I mean we're talking about billions of dollars. So much human talent, skill, intelligence taken away from really important things... Just sad...
Wow. Definitely, an interesting reading. And a special guy, no question about it. On the other hand, the guy didn't cure cancer. Doesn't it give anyone pause to thin that the topic of conversation is 'ads'? You know, those little annoying things you would never click, and which get in the way of your normal life. I mean we're talking about billions of dollars. So much human talent, skill, intelligence taken away from…
Not to mention- while he is getting paid a monstrous sum of money, think of how many people he is also enabling to have jobs, both at Google and the businesses that use their services. The direct effect is obviously very different, but I'd bet he does a lot of good for the world in his own way.
Think of the sheer amount of considerations that go into a decision like this. Higher-ups at Google must acknowledge:
* Offering someone an enormous sum only after someone else has made you an offer can be off-putting. Consider the many articles written about never making counter offers[1], or never accepting them.
* Along the same lines, if you're not offered a large enough sum to stay, you might take it as an insult. "They're only offering me this much money after I've considered leaving?" Google certainly made sure the sum was large enough, by any count.
* Offering an enormous sum to one person may tempt others to fish out offers from other companies. Others may feel like they're never going to get a raise unless they are courting or being courted actively.
* Google's decision-makers (or check-writers) have to be careful about the number picked. They want to send a message to the person, and to other companies, and to the market. But they probably don't want to end up paying $100m for every high value employee. Luckily for Google, if its gonna be a cash arms-race against other companies, there are few that can do serious battle with them.
* Speaking of high value employees, while you might get person A to stay, you make make resentful group B. After all, there's already a comment here: "It's only a matter of time before us little developers get's similar packages!" It's not a stretch for anyone to sympathize with that view.
~~~
And then, at the end of all that, people in a room pursed their lips together and quietly nodded while somebody pulled out the (metaphorical) checkbook. This guy is staying, it's going to be this much money, and we're going to make it purposefully public knowledge. Signals everywhere.
It seems to be a dangerous game. Others may (as a default) suddenly feel unappreciated since Google hasn't made them an offer to keep being a Googler, and perhaps hasn't approached them with any considerable raise in some time. 100 million ensures that you keep a single employee, but how many do you alienate at the same time?
Hard to blame Google's decision, I'm sure they gave it much more thought than I have. I wish I could know what they're thinking, it's just so fascinating what goes into this.
Wow. Definitely, an interesting reading. And a special guy, no question about it. On the other hand, the guy didn't cure cancer. Doesn't it give anyone pause to thin that the topic of conversation is 'ads'? You know, those little annoying things you would never click, and which get in the way of your normal life. I mean we're talking about billions of dollars. So much human talent, skill, intelligence taken away from…
Not everyone needs to cure cancer to do something great.
Getting the very serious offer from Twitter was the best thing to happen to Neal.
I can only imagine the negotiation with Google that he must of had. It probably went on the lines of something like this -
"Hey, I really love it here at Google. I am really excited with what we are working on and want to deliver it but this Twitter offer is just something that I can't ignore. I am looking at the financial future of my family and I would be doing them a disservice if I don't consider this offer seriously. Is there anything we can do to just make this offer go away."
Neal had the upper hand. Worst-case scenario for him would be that there would be no change. He would continue to work at Google. Next best case scenario would be that he would be working at another mega-tech company, and getting better compensated with potentially even greater upside.
Google was in a position of weakness in either case. If they did nothing and he left, it would amount to even more collateral damage as others would get the message that Google can't compete and Twitter would make even more offers to others.
By paying him out, they basically paid him the opportunity cost in real dollars that he may have had if he moved to Twitter.
In all of this, Neal's professionalism would have tipped the favor on his side.