Amazon more than doubles max base pay to $350k • Hacker News Board

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

#61

Post by mattferderer » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:20 PM UTC

xiphias2 wrote: post #13

As a Googler I was approached by Amazon, and when I started to look at the culture, a photo came out with Jeff Bezos using a door because he was too ,,frugal’’ to buy a desk… I would never join an office where people are proud of that.

You may enjoy this article that argues the door desks were both more expensive & possibly more about marketing an idea to employees than actually saving money - https://glog.glennf.com/blog/2011/10/16/the_true_story_of_th...

Either way the door desk is an interesting piece of tech history.

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

#62

Post by iso1210 » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:20 PM UTC

xiphias2 wrote: post #13

As a Googler I was approached by Amazon, and when I started to look at the culture, a photo came out with Jeff Bezos using a door because he was too ,,frugal’’ to buy a desk… I would never join an office where people are proud of that.

Sorry I can't picture this - had he taken it off it's hinges and put it on a couple of stools?

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

#63

Post by brjiro8 » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:21 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #29

darknavi wrote: post #19

As a low-ish level MSFT employee I laughed at this line: > The move promises to bring Amazon’s base pay more in line with other big tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. As a ~62/63 (almost senior or senior) at Microsoft my peers at Facebook, Google, and Amazon can easily make literally twice as much compensation a year in salary, stock, and cash bonuses. Microsoft isn't even in the ballpar…

I always thought about MSFT as like working for the government: A somewhat boring, stable, 9-5, predictable workplace, but you're exchanging that for lower total compensation. But you can stay there for an actual career , family and all that. Whereas the more "fun" companies like Google/Facebook/Amazon will chew you up and spit you out, and you just have to make as much money as possible in your 20s/early 30s before…

No post body was provided.

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

#64

Post by sdflhasjd » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:21 PM UTC

_dain_ wrote: post #31

US tech salary discussions always throw around incomprehensibly large numbers and complain that they are "small"

Yes, it's also a bit awkward with increasing inequality.

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

#65

Post by _trackno5 » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:21 PM UTC

Finally Amazon is realising their trash comp won't get them any hires in the current market. They were not even close to being competitive with other FAANG before. Couple that with the bad culture and I'm sure they were feeling the pressure to get new hires.

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

#66

Post by MattGaiser » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:21 PM UTC

darknavi wrote: post #19

As a low-ish level MSFT employee I laughed at this line: > The move promises to bring Amazon’s base pay more in line with other big tech companies, including Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. As a ~62/63 (almost senior or senior) at Microsoft my peers at Facebook, Google, and Amazon can easily make literally twice as much compensation a year in salary, stock, and cash bonuses. Microsoft isn't even in the ballpar…

Is Microsoft a really cozy place to work? Shopify in Canada is similar with weak comp, but it is considered a great place to work.

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

#67

Post by european321 » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:22 PM UTC

aantix wrote: post #42

_dain_ wrote: post #31

US tech salary discussions always throw around incomprehensibly large numbers and complain that they are "small"

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

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

#68

Post by bin_bash » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:23 PM UTC

AitchEmArsey wrote: post #54

dymk wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When the average tenure is 1.8 years, it certainly is working. That's nearly 50% of their tenure resulting in less than 20% of their equity vesting. The way Amazon does vesting is a scam for any engineer willing to work there, IMO. Big shiny number that they can dangle in front of engineers, and everybody thinks "Oh, sure I can do 4 years for that..."

"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.

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

#69

Post by CSMastermind » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:23 PM UTC

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #35

Someone1234 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought about MSFT as like working for the government: A somewhat boring, stable, 9-5, predictable workplace, but you're exchanging that for lower total compensation. But you can stay there for an actual career , family and all that. Whereas the more "fun" companies like Google/Facebook/Amazon will chew you up and spit you out, and you just have to make as much money as possible in your 20s/early 30s before…

> I always thought about MSFT as like working for the government: A somewhat boring, stable, 9-5, predictable workplace That obviously wasn't true in the 90s (see the famous Microserfs book), but might be true today, so I would argue against the "always" for those of us around then.

To be clear: working at Microsoft is a hell of a lot better than working in government. You're generally fulfilled creatively and paid extremely well - at least in comparison to everywhere but the very top paying tech firms.

What the commenter is saying is true though, Microsoft is a place where you can have an actual career and great work-life balance. It's been that way for at least a decade now.

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

#70

Post by karmakurtisaani » Mon, Feb 07, 2022, 5:23 PM UTC

anonporridge wrote: post #27

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #2

We had an office near an Amazon office. I interviewed a lot of people trying to leave Amazon. I don’t ask candidate’s compensation, but a lot of them volunteered it anyway. I was always surprised at how effectively low their comp was in the first few years due to the vesting schedule. The internet is adamant that everyone with FAANG jobs is rolling in TC, but there are a lot of people out there who are getting into F…

Pretty much textbook abusive relationship. Get people feeling that they can't leave because of sunk cost and it's all going to be worth it soon, even though they're actively miserable.

I was thinking sunk cost as well, but I don't know if it applies here. Can you call it sunk cost if the thinking is "if I get through this day, it's one less day to the pay off" as opposed to "I've already put so much effort to this, I can't leave now!"?