> "hope to make 400k"
Even with 10-20 years of experience in the bay area at small, medium, large size software companies, I've never ever made anything close to that amount.
Even with 10-20 years of experience in the bay area at small, medium, large size software companies, I've never ever made anything close to that amount.
There's a huge amount of variance, within FAANG and elsewhere.
As a simple example, SDE III at Amazon typically pays a bit more than $300k. Principal SDE, the next rank above that, will pay well over $400k.
And don't forget that during years of steep stock appreciation, like much of the past decade, actual compensation will often be higher than that.
Hitting 400k total comp if you have the right experience (5-10 years, good brand university or companies) is totally doable.
Also bonus closer to 15-20%.
There's your problem.
Getting paid in options is the exact mistake I've warned about repeatedly in comments throughout this thread.
Yours is a fairly common case in SV: worked in a series of startups that "paid" you in illiquid options that ended up being totally worthless.
I'm willing to bet these very same startups encouraged you to value these options very highly: high 6 and even 7 figures, right?
These places don't pay well, because why should they? Talent is apparently willing to work their ass off for these "worthless options" that are sold to them as vouchers for surefire multi-million-dollar jackpots.
400k for senior is pretty good, but still doable at a lot of the big companies.
I make over 300 and I'm not senior yet.
GP has replied elsewhere that all his employers were startups that paid him in "worthless options".
Indeed, you won't ever see $400k or even $300k working for startups that "pay" you in illiquid 0.001% stakes in what will surely become a multi-billion dollar runaway success (in which unlikely case your share will be diluted to nothing anyway).
You can certainly stick your fingers in your ears and sing LALALA while the rest of us make real money,. Your life, your choice.