No you are incorrect. That 224k is base at google not including equity. Staff engineers at google get a bonus and the majority of their comp is in equity, just like coin.
Source, I have a lot of friends who are former/current staff engineers at a variety of Bay Area companies. I also was a staff engineer at coin.
Also if you want to earn something like this in cash go work at Netflix when they start hiring again. They give you the option to be paid in cash.
It's not incorrect, salary does not include equity. Total comp would be a combination of salary, equity, and bonuses. The OP refers to salary, not total comp. I'm using their information to reply in their thread. Happy to re-asses conversation at total comp (a different conversation) if they are referring to total comp instead of salary.
I wonder if this is sort of imposter syndrome, where an engineer thinks a year of my time is just not worth $380k to $495k. We all know plenty of examples where good employees are worth this and much more to growing or very profitable companies.
Ask for what you can get and realize that you are worth more than you realize in the right situation. And never begrudge a peer who earns a lot.
Levels.fyi lists that number as base cash salary, yes. Total comp for a Staff SWE at Google is easily breaking $500k. It is also not a secret to anyone that cash salary at most tech companies tops out pretty low, because as you grow in levels, cash becomes a smaller and smaller portion of your total comp.
$224k/yr is below what a midlevel/L4 SWE would make at Google in total comp.
That’s low. I don’t think they’re using “staff” right.
Also, Total comp in 224k is more like $400k. 15% bonus target is normal with a possible 2x performance multiplier. 100k/yr gsu stock. 50% 401k match. To say nothing of the perks. On-site gyms, fantastic food, free shuttles.
Not that I’m advocating for working for goog, just saying.
levels.fyi shows $498,910 in total compensation for a staff level SWE at Google. Different companies compensate using a different blend of cash and equity. At a public company like Google, it's all liquid. Similarly, an E6 at Facebook gets $576,886.
These are also roughly speaking first-year salaries. You can expect a refresh grant equal to 1/4 of a new-hire equity grant each year vesting over 4 years, plus a staff-level can get a signing bonus of $50-100K.
After 3-4 years in a staff role you can easily be making $1-2M/yr.
It's probably not 380K base, which is very high, it's likely 300K base + 25% bonus target = $375K, give or take. That's not hugely more than any of the mega-caps have been paying in cash comp for staffie's for like 5+ years.
> After 3-4 years in a staff role you can easily be making $1-2M/yr.
Refreshes exist but this is a total lie. I'm staff at Google. Nobody at L6 is making $1M in annual compensation, even if they have their sign-on equity and three refreshes. Let alone $2M.
htormey|3 years ago
Source, I have a lot of friends who are former/current staff engineers at a variety of Bay Area companies. I also was a staff engineer at coin.
Also if you want to earn something like this in cash go work at Netflix when they start hiring again. They give you the option to be paid in cash.
neill|3 years ago
georgeecollins|3 years ago
Ask for what you can get and realize that you are worth more than you realize in the right situation. And never begrudge a peer who earns a lot.
mlom|3 years ago
[deleted]
dasil003|3 years ago
fnbr|3 years ago
ojbyrne|3 years ago
filoleg|3 years ago
$224k/yr is below what a midlevel/L4 SWE would make at Google in total comp.
more_corn|3 years ago
Also, Total comp in 224k is more like $400k. 15% bonus target is normal with a possible 2x performance multiplier. 100k/yr gsu stock. 50% 401k match. To say nothing of the perks. On-site gyms, fantastic food, free shuttles.
Not that I’m advocating for working for goog, just saying.
arcticbull|3 years ago
These are also roughly speaking first-year salaries. You can expect a refresh grant equal to 1/4 of a new-hire equity grant each year vesting over 4 years, plus a staff-level can get a signing bonus of $50-100K.
After 3-4 years in a staff role you can easily be making $1-2M/yr.
It's probably not 380K base, which is very high, it's likely 300K base + 25% bonus target = $375K, give or take. That's not hugely more than any of the mega-caps have been paying in cash comp for staffie's for like 5+ years.
UncleMeat|3 years ago
Refreshes exist but this is a total lie. I'm staff at Google. Nobody at L6 is making $1M in annual compensation, even if they have their sign-on equity and three refreshes. Let alone $2M.
htormey|3 years ago
You can make a lot of money working as a staff engineer at a top tier company.