[averageRoyalty]

> 20 years as a dev and tech lead and full stack, including stints as a EM and CTO

> Since then I pivoted to AI and Gen AI startups- money is tight and I dont have health insurance but at least I have a job…

I hope this doesn't come across as rude, but why? My understanding is American tech pays very well, especially on the executive level. I understand for some odd reason your country is against public healthcare, but surely a year of big tech money is enough to pay for decades of private health insurance?

[Aurornis]

Not parent commenter, but in the US when someone’s employment doesn’t include health insurance it’s commonly because they’re operating as a contractor for that company.

Generally you’re right, though. Working in tech, especially AI companies, would be expected to provide ample money for buying health insurance on your own. I know some people who choose not to buy their own and prefer to self-pay and hope they never need anything serious, which is obviously a risk.

A side note: The US actually does have public health care but eligibility is limited. Over one quarter of US people are on Medicaid and another 20% are on Medicare (program for older people). Private self-pay insurance is also subsidized on a sliding scale based on your income, with subsidies phasing out around $120K annual income for a family of four.

It’s not equivalent to universal public health care but it’s also different than what a lot of people (Americans included) have come to think.

[AIorNot]

As CTO I wasnt in a big tech company, it was a 50 person digital studio in the south my salary as was 275k at the highest point in my career- so I never made FAANG money

[amrocha]

That’s 1% money. At that point the issue isn’t how much money you made but what you did with it.