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Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

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Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#41

But I bet they don't have a foozball table or all the Red Bull you can drink! They aren't COOL ! Are they? ARE THEY?!

Technically, there is a foosball table and a vending machine with Red Bull. Employees prefer Cola & Coffee though (those are free).

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#42
post #18
post #14

This won't apply to everyone, but before applying to Walmart/Walmart Labs, do remember that Walmart will ask you to pass a drug test.

Also remember that they are evil. I don't toss this around lightly, but Wal-Mart is one of the very few companies (I actually can't think of any others right now) that I absolutely will not do business with no matter what.

But I bet you'd shop Amazon without thinking twice.

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#43

For anyone wondering why this might be, you may benefit from looking up the term "compensating differential" on Wikipedia. The general idea is that if a job has less appeal (because it is less pleasant or prestigious, which it's reasonable to believe SWE for Walmart is), you have to pay more to get the same talent.

I have an old saying: "If you want to make good money you can do something that either: a. no one else can do or b. no one else wants to do but if you want to make really good money, do something no else can do AND no one else wants to do."

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#44

Right, but that doesn't include the extremely valuable equity grants given to engineers at these high-growth tech companies.

Would you call FB high-growth? At least from a VC standpoint "high-growth" is a 10x return, and not 2.5x like FB (on a good day)

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#45
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also remember that they are evil. I don't toss this around lightly, but Wal-Mart is one of the very few companies (I actually can't think of any others right now) that I absolutely will not do business with no matter what.

I don't toss this around lightly, but Wal-Mart is one of the very few companies I absolutely always do business with because it is cheap, reliable, and I hate going to multiple stores on a single shopping trip.

try costco

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#46
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also remember that they are evil. I don't toss this around lightly, but Wal-Mart is one of the very few companies (I actually can't think of any others right now) that I absolutely will not do business with no matter what.

But I bet you'd shop Amazon without thinking twice.

Yep!

Care to tell me why I shouldn't?

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#47
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you elaborate why?

They severely mistreat their employees when it comes to on-the-job injuries. Friend of mine injured his knee while working in one of their warehouses. A perverse company policy gives bonuses if the crew is injury-free for a certain amount of time. This is supposed to improve safety, but what it does is cause management to put intense pressure on workers not to see a doctor when injured, because if they don't see a do…

Thanks for that.

When this kind of comment comes up, I am always concerned about a slippery-slope as there are many other companies / practices that do worse things than Walmart and thus boycotting only Walmart would be a hypocrisy. You could say similar things about Apple products, or the random T shirt one would pick up from a cheap store. The personal angle in your comment makes a lot of sense.

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#48
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you elaborate why?

They severely mistreat their employees when it comes to on-the-job injuries. Friend of mine injured his knee while working in one of their warehouses. A perverse company policy gives bonuses if the crew is injury-free for a certain amount of time. This is supposed to improve safety, but what it does is cause management to put intense pressure on workers not to see a doctor when injured, because if they don't see a do…

That would be the same of accusing Apple of being evil for overlooking environmental laws, while other companies (Samsung, etc...) use the exact same practices and end up getting a free pass. Walmart gets labeled as "evil" simply because they are the big ones and therefore the media likes to make them the example, but every retailer acts like them.

This is a problem of corporate-capitalism and the lack of labor protection in the US more than anything else.

(I agree with you that this is bad behavior. My point is simply that this kind of behavior should be enforced by the system)

Re: Software engineers tell Glassdoor that Walmart pays more than Facebook

#49
post #44

Right, but that doesn't include the extremely valuable equity grants given to engineers at these high-growth tech companies.

Would you call FB high-growth? At least from a VC standpoint "high-growth" is a 10x return, and not 2.5x like FB (on a good day)

Publicly traded companies are not measured by the VC yardstick.

Facebook is certainly high growth. And even if you don't want to use the traditional Wallstreet "growth stock" measurement, try this one out: If you were a facebook engineer hired 1 year ago given a (relatively small) $100k RSU grant that vests over 4 years, that grant today is worth $285,000. And today, on your 1 year anniversary, your first 25% chunk would've vested, giving you $72k in pre-tax income. As somebody who experienced this recently in another "high growth" dotcom IPO, the term I'd use for that is "down payment on a house."

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