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You have taken the words right out of my mouth! I, too, would like to understand the reasons. I just read the Chariot Lead Designer post with dismay. (https://angel.co/chariot/jobs/45415-lead-designer) Now, the other comments are interesting, but speculative or general to the point of not providing applicable knowledge. I will come back to see if anyone who set these terms will tell us their reasoning. My interest is practical. I have been thinking about compensation lately in case I have the good fortune to: 1) get into YC S15 and 2) survive and 3) need to hire. Also, I mentor designers and so am a sponge for compensation data and explanations.

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I just read the Chariot Lead Designer post with dismay.

In my opinion, the only person that takes that job is someone without a current job who is getting desperate.

They'll work there for however long it takes them to get a better job and then leave them abruptly.

60-90k in San Francisco? Can you even make it in SF with that salary?

You might be able to get by with 90k, assuming you're frugal, though given the rents today, it would be wise to live outside the city. 60k would be a pretty crappy existence in SF these days.

60k is what an experienced teacher makes.

Who do you want to teach your children? Would you want them to live in your community?

I would want them to make a decent wage (much more than 60k in SF) for their hard, essential work. Whether they live in the "community" or not is irrelevant (except for their commute, in which case, yes). It won't lead to better education or a better experience for the children.

I did it for 2 years. I had a studio apartment in Hayes Valley (no roommates). It's definitely doable.

Can you clarify what's so bad about that job posting? Just the salary range or something else?

The salary range is the standout. That price range is in line with a junior agency position (read: someone who makes banner ads) in this area. Run of the mill lead design positions are typically in the 120-175 range at a small-med org.

Beyond that, no one piece is particularly offensive, but the post overall paints the picture that they're trying to hire an entry level, mostly visual designer and then put this person in charge of a significant part of their product, in what should be research-driven role with a senior title.

This happens often, because engineering driven companies don't always know what to look for and demand from a high level design hire, in the same way that lots of cube farm companies are bad at vetting developers. The problem is that for this sum, they're not going to attract the kind of candidates that know about that, know what the position should actually be, and who will realign the company in a sensible direction. They're going to end up with an entry level candidate who delivers what's asked for without knowing what's needed, and the world will have one more mediocre product to show for it.

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