Comment by tsunamifury | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tsunamifury | Hacker News Reader

I make about $275k (145 base, 35 bonus, 90+RSUs) as a designer with strong technical and product management skills. For example I can write you a basic Android front end and also a PRD while tangling through legal and security.

I am an individual contributor and just about to begin managing. However I unofficially lead a team of 20. There are still 4 levels above me that can be paid upwards of low millions dollars before entering executive titles like VP.

I'm 30 and it took running a startup, then pushing high profile products in a big 3 company then launching net new products and running as a solo entrepreneur within the company.

At the upper end, it's not about just being a manager or even being good. It's about how well you can create new opportunities that are strategically valuable for the company.

Honestly, I think of myself as just getting started, as I aim to reach 1m+ total comp per year.

> I am an individual contributor and just about to begin managing. However I unofficially lead a team of 20.

How common is this? I'm in a similar position, albeit a smaller group. I've gotten pushback on a management title, but I think I've largely negotiated the unofficial duties into my salary, so I don't mind much. I make $250K (base and total) at a non-profit.

> I make $250K (base and total) at a non-profit.

This is pretty intriguing. May I ask how common this is? I have imagined non-profit careers to be in the <$150k range and not comparable (compensation-wise) to tech companies/startups.

In general I think there is a discount to working at a non-profit. I'd expect a salary bump if I went back to industry. That said, I think it is not uncommon. Non-profits span a wide range of organizations. There are well-funded non-profits like the Gates Foundation, Simons Foundation or the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, medical research institutes and research hospitals, health insurers, and leading museums. Non-profits report salaries of officers, highly paid and key employees. Have a look at ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer [0]. Look for IRS Form 990. It's pretty interesting. As tsunamifury says, if you can demonstrate strategic value to the organization you will be in a strong negotiating position.

[0] https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/

If you a natural entrepreneur this is pretty common. You also don't tend to care if it's official or not, as long as the product goals are met and you are compensated for making them happen.

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