Is there a reason to not trust levels.fyi data? Or is this more focused on startups?
I haven't seen startup data on levels.fyi
Open Salary and Equity Database
61–70 of 76 posts
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
The odds of a company making it that big are so low though, you're chasing lottery tickets with that outlook, which I suppose is still useful information.
I actually recommend chasing lottery tickets to people who are in common jobs like customer support or social media engagement. You could do those jobs practically anywhere, but fast-growing tech startups tend to pay relatively well (at least as well as established players) and throw in a lottery ticket. If you enjoy wearing a variety of hats, like you'll need to in a smaller company, you might as well do a couple ye…
Haven't heard of this reasoning before, but it makes a lot of sense to me. Unless those roles still pay much better in big tech, but I think you're right - any gap in cash comp is probably small, which makes startups more attractive
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#63What is BizOps? I noticed a lot of the non-technical roles here have that title. I've read wildly varying definitions ranging from Strategy to KPI management and data analytics, has the industry settled on a relatively consistent definition?
'BizOps' is usually a mix of internal consulting, operations, and data analysis.
There is no standard definition and I think we should keep it that way. With the number of 'Ops' that people are trying to do soon companies will need 'OpsOps' to make sure they're operationalizing their operations.
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#64I don't understand how we can ever know if ANY of these self-reported salary databases are accurate.
Some of them are really silly like someone claiming to get an offer with .75% of the company for a company with 500 employees for a "senior android developer"
Did they get an offer like that, or did they work there when it was 10 people? Because that makes a big difference.
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#65The equity (%) without the actual cash value of the options is basically a vanity number - it does not mean much and is not comparable between the companies.
If they ever did a 409a, they have to share that information with employees, which at least lets you estimate the current upper bound on the cash value of your options. Sure, very far from money in the bank, but knowing the current upper cash bound can still be used to compare different offers.
A 409a should be a true measure of the value of a company, but in reality it is something that can be manipulated. There is a balance between valuation for the purposes of funding and raising your stock value so high that it can impact hiring as a function of perceived upside. Getting wrong on the high side can effect the next round, devalue shares issued existing staff causing a repricing or the need to issue more shares to existing staff to keep them around.
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you think the tech stack matters? Is it because you want to compare yourself to other people working with X, or because you want to pursue the best paying technologies? I don’t think either should matter, you’re paid for a job function not the tools you use, but the latter is a trap on my opinion. I’m turning 40 this year and as such an approaching the sort of midway of my career and in my anecdotal experience…
I am not sure it's true. You are hired for your skills so tomorrow you are another developer who can solve the tasks he is given in this specific tech environment. >> You need to deliver solutions, you need to show the business the impact of those solutions Most of the time people who interview (and eventually say yes/no) are tech people, discussing business problems and solutions is cute yet pretty useless. It's fun…
It has been my experience and my expectation that Sr. roles in engineering have a grasp of the business and the impact of what they deliver has on it. Jumping roles at a certain level at the likes of a FAANG 100% require that you have created / managed / delivered a project that had business impact.
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am not sure it's true. You are hired for your skills so tomorrow you are another developer who can solve the tasks he is given in this specific tech environment. >> You need to deliver solutions, you need to show the business the impact of those solutions Most of the time people who interview (and eventually say yes/no) are tech people, discussing business problems and solutions is cute yet pretty useless. It's fun…
> I would go even further and say for me it would be a big red flag to waste time on "business impact" - I am going in as a programmer. From my experience, my "business impact" is somewhat close to a cleaner dude. And I don't want to take on additional (unclear) responsibilities I am not sure I know much about. Thank you, but I already know and do enough in my niche which happened to be software development and is a…
Even in FAANG, do the devs really know the business impact or they just use the business vocabulary to BS around? I mean I can also bullshit anyone about the business impact, I just don't believe that many people (even non-tech) do really know the real business impact. I know for a fact they don't )
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
News to me. Company value, dilution, risk, revenue, profit, outlook, etc. have significant weight.
Yes those matter to selecting any company, but equity % does as well
Why? Assuming we’re talking about normal employee options, if you’re early and get a big % that gets diluted, someone with a smaller % later can end up with more shares.
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#69Odd to see a bunch of 1-10 sized startups have director and vp of engineering roles. I’m assuming there is a CTO at those companies as well but I would have expected efficient team comp for that size to be one CTO 1 CEO 1 CPO one or two sales/marketing and rest engineers
Re: Open Salary and Equity Database
#70Odd to see a bunch of 1-10 sized startups have director and vp of engineering roles. I’m assuming there is a CTO at those companies as well but I would have expected efficient team comp for that size to be one CTO 1 CEO 1 CPO one or two sales/marketing and rest engineers
My guess is that there isn't a CTO there, and the Director/VP is waiting in the wings for that title