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Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

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Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#191

Post by 1024core »

laweijfmvo wrote: post #83
Mountain_Skies wrote: post #20

I'm amazed both with the number of messages I get from Amazon about job openings and the aggressiveness of them. Add on how many are for ill fitting or basically Hail Mary type positions (During the height of the pandemic I got one wanting me to move to Ireland to work in an Amazon office there. They even acknowledged the oddness of the situation but they were really desperate for people to fill those roles). Seems l…

Amazon recruiting is a disaster. I’m used to receiving a reach out once or twice a year, but late last year I had at least four recruiters reaching out, three simultaneously. I think one even attempted to automate the process because I received two separate emails from him along with follow ups on each in a matter of four hours, and my replies never got through as they were completely ignored as he continued to follo…

Amazon Recruiting is indeed a disaster.

I got approached by an Amazon recruiter, and instead of just ignoring him, I decided to see "what's out there". I'm a staff SWE level at a decent company, so not exactly desperate to leave.

He proposed a hard time for a phone call later that week. I replied saying that I have conflicts at that time, how about we do it next week? Didn't hear back from him for a couple of days, and then he replied saying he's too busy next week. OK then, can you let me know when you're free?

Never heard from him again.

Sounded very unprofessional to me.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#192

Post by potatolicious »

munificent wrote: post #146
yanslookup wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't match my experience. I guess it depends on the role but for engineers it's well known Amazon has been throwing large sign on bonuses to close the vesting gap for years. For instance I received an offer that was 160 base, 325 cash bonus and 5% of my RSUs for my first year, putting my TC at ~510k. Second year was a slightly smaller bonus, and 15% of my RSUs. Is it possible that when folks were voluntarily…

> I received an offer that was 160 base, 325 cash bonus and 5% of my RSUs for my first year, putting my TC at ~510k. I don't understand the appeal of cash signing bonuses. This just seems to me like another way of saying you got hired for a $485k annual salary while giving Amazon the freedom to cut your salary a year from now by up to ~67%. Why give your future self that risk instead of looking for a higher base sala…

> Why give your future self that risk instead of looking for a higher base salary that is stickier over the long term?

You're exactly right. Signing bonuses - and even equity compensation - are designed to lower your TC over time. The idea is that companies offer a high TC to entice you through the door, with the understanding that at the end of your 4 years your TC will drop precipitously but at that point you'd be too invested/too afraid to interview/etc to leave.

This is why in nearly all companies equity refreshers are always significantly smaller than what would be necessary to keep your TC level. The point is to over several years converge you to a lower TC that is middle of the pack rather than the top-of-band packages FAANGs have to offer to recruit candidates.

It does seem ass backwards - and if you're an engineer who cares a lot about TC (IMO rightly so) and interview well, you will consistently cliff out every 4 years as a result.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#193

Post by loeg »

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #108
loeg wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve had a similar experience, albeit with lower TC numbers. The RSUs were backloaded, but there were big cash grants for years 1 and 2 that flattened it out somewhat. Another thing to keep in mind is that Amazon values their stock grants as if it grows 15% every year. Obviously this is pretty optimistic and makes their offers not directly comparable to other companies that value their stock using current prices.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Amazon values their stock grants as if it grows 15% every year. Obviously this is pretty optimistic and makes their offers not directly comparable to other companies that value their stock using current prices. They're easily comparable because current prices incorporate all publicly available information (and even some non-public). If you accept the 15% assumption, you're lettin…

This isn't responsive to my comment. I said "not directly comparable," which is true, because the dollar figures stated for TC have different stock growth models. I agree that current prices are the best available estimate of future performance (i.e., flat growth model) and the optimistic stock valuation Amazon uses is misleading and deliberately so.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#194

Post by ctvo »

bin_bash wrote: post #68
AitchEmArsey wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Their equity" is the wrong way of thinking about it - the RSU schedule is fully visible up front, and in the first 2 years low RSU grants are offset by a sign-on bonus. In my case, I was told what my target TC per year was, and that is what I've received (at minimum), just made up of a varying mix of bonus and RSUs. Saying that un-vested RSUs are "mine" is like laying claim to next year's salary before having done a…

I'm pretty sure every other big tech company offers sign on bonuses with an evenly distributed vesting schedule.

What are your big tech companies? Does it include Google? If so, your statement is incorrect.

More correct:

Of the big tech companies, only Amazon structures its RSU so it's heavily backloaded.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#196

Post by inoop »

european321 wrote: post #67
aantix wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Move to the U.S. where your skills have a much higher value?

Sure, you have a visa for me? I will be on the next flight over if so

I'm assuming that based on your username, you are an EU citizen? If so, apply for a job with any large US based company in one of their European offices. For example, Google in Zurich or Dublin, Amazon in London, etc.

After one year, you qualify for what's called an L1B 'internal transfer' visa. You can then transfer to another team within the same company that's based in the US. In many cases the company will sponsor your visa application and even the cost of moving (e.g. plain ticket, cost of shipping your belongings, etc.)

Once in the US, you can start the application process for a green card. As long as you're not a citizen of either India or China, this should take 2-3 years.

I'm Dutch and this is the path I took.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#197

Post by foobarian »

gregdoesit wrote: post #169

I’ve been talking to close to a dozen current and former Amazon employees since the end of 2021, and reached out to people publicly sharing attrition observations. Amazon attrition is really bad, even in AWS (Amazon employees all agree that AWS is a much better place to work in tech than Amazon retail). At the same time, Amazon has had to pay very high for new hires. Hiring managers used to need to get L10 approval t…

> To top all of this, Amazon has a 6% internal URA

So that's where all the Microsoft stack-ranking hawks went!

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#198

Post by lotsofpulp »

rootusrootus wrote: post #150
isbvhodnvemrwvn wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize that it's incomprehensibly high in most of the countries in the world regardless of how it's taxed?

I don't think it's quite that simple. Cost of living has to be factored in, at least. Buying a bog standard middle class house in my city is $850K. And this isn't California, obviously.

If we are comparing to the rest of the world, a bog standard middle class house in the US (and the accompanying land) is quite a few deviations from the middle.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#199

Post by DamnYuppie »

CarlosEscobedo wrote: post #71
_dain_ wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100-200k is incomprehensibly large for me

money is one thing, you also need to take into consideration how much work US tech expects, how little vacation is provided, and how things like Health Care isn't universal.

I have worked at many companies in the US where my take home pay was $140,000 + bonus. I got 4-6 weeks of PTO every year, the company paid for my high deductible insurance plane and kicked in an additional $1000 to an HSA. This doesn't include the dollar for dollar safe harbor match on my 401k that was up to $8,000 and more after that at a reduced rate. There as no stock or anything like that. I worked on average 40/hr a week and we played a lot of golf.

Is this the norm definitely not but there are a lot of good companies out there paying well.

Re: Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k

#200

Post by somebodythere »

azemetre wrote: post #142
hobo_mark wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google started the same way: > Brin and Page filled the garage with desks made of old pine doors set on sawhorses, a turquoise shag carpet, and a Ping-Pong table. https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2014/04/sergey-brin-amanda-...

I mean there's nothing wrong with this. A solid wooden door is nearly the perfect desk size and width. I feel like the OP was being a little too drastic, there are many reasons to dislike Amazon but one being that Bezos used a door as a table is a little out there.

I use a door as a desk at home. With some finishing it looks as good as a solid wooden desk, and its much sturdier and nicer feeling than a plastic desk, while being the same price.
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