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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

#51

Post by thegoleffect »

jamesaguilar wrote: post #15
prateekj wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was about to say the exact same thing before I read your comment. It doesn't matter if you get more money, you will still be a software engineer at Walmart!

Hmm, that said, this could easily just be a reflection of biases and preconceptions software engineers have about Walmart. For all you or I know, those guys over at Walmart Labs/Walmart Ecommerce are having a blast and getting paid a bunch to do it.

I know a few people here who say that it is their "dream" job. But, that's mostly because @WalmartLabs is treated like an independent startup with its own management, ecosystem, and philosophies. The employees who can make a huge impact and have awesome bosses are very happy - this would be true at any company.

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

#52

Post by thegoleffect »

lquist wrote: post #11
donretag wrote: post #8

Walmart has a division called Walmart Labs that is based in Silicon Valley. They are working on many complex projects, especially around Big Data. Not sure how big that engineering group is compared to the rest of Walmart IT, but I would assume that group is nicely paid and working on interesting problems.

Entry level (i.e., junior dev) salaries at Walmart Labs are $100k. This is based off of multiple data points.

I don't know anyone who has joined at rank Junior Software Engineer I (doesn't necessarily mean you are wrong though). Everyone I know who joined young (and there aren't many...) came in at JSWE III which requires prior experience and is roughly commensurate with $100k industry-wide.

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

#53

Post by felipe »

encoderer wrote: post #49
felipe wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 w…

You forgot to subtract the amount you "paid" for the RSUs by not making an optimal salary.

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

#54

Post by mikeash »

felipe wrote: post #48
mikeash wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 prote…

Are the others, in fact, just as bad? If so, I've not heard of it. Sure, there are certain routine abuses that are rampant everywhere, but Wal-Mart takes it to a uniquely high level from what I know. I could be wrong, of course, but that's what I know.

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

#55

Post by encoderer »

felipe wrote: post #53
encoderer wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 w…

You forgot to subtract the amount you "paid" for the RSUs by not making an optimal salary.

Interesting comment. Can't say I agree with it. There are a lot of benefits to having an equity grant as part of a total comp package for highly paid employees like software engineers and management. Even more so if you're fortunate enough to get non-qual options and not RSU's.

Among other things, if that employee had insisted on no equity all salary, he'd have POSSIBLY gotten that extra $25k a year. The guy next to him would be the one with $72k. You'd rather earn the "optimal" salary? And sure, share price can go down but if you don't believe a company is going to continue building wealth, why work there?

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

#57

Post by felipe »

gcb0 wrote: post #45
bpodgursky wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Costco targets the high-middle-class families, who have the income and space to buy bulk. And by making up in volume and high-end products [1] Costco can afford to "not be evil".

[1] - One not very well-known facts about Costco is that a big part of their profit comes from the high-end "novelty" stuff that they put in between the cheap bulk items. That works for them because people who shop at Costco have high disposable income.

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

#58

Post by felipe »

mikeash wrote: post #54
felipe wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 prote…

Are the others, in fact, just as bad? If so, I've not heard of it. Sure, there are certain routine abuses that are rampant everywhere, but Wal-Mart takes it to a uniquely high level from what I know. I could be wrong, of course, but that's what I know.

> Are the others, in fact, just as bad?

Well, just one example that came to my mind from a documentary I watched recently:

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/viewfinder/asia/2013/07/...

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

#59

Post by tzs »

liamondrop wrote: post #32
mikeash wrote: 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.

Facebook is to privacy as Wal-Mart is to small retail business.

Has it actually been proven that Wal-Mart is detrimental to small retail business?

I know, it seems obvious on the face of it. Wal-Mart comes to Mayberry, and Walker's Drug Store and Foley's Grocery and Weaver's Department Store can't compete and go out of business.

...except weren't those already nailed before Wal-Mart got there by Walgreen's and Safeway and JC Penny?

I suspect that when a place is big enough to support a Wal-Mart, it's already attracted enough big national chains that the small guys are dead or dying.

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

#60

Post by malandrew »

On this note, what is a good source of salary information for series A and series B companies?

For various reasons, I would imagine that comparing salaries in large mature companies and Series A/B startups to be like comparing apples and oranges.

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