just accepted an affirm new grad offer for SWE (they call it L3 internally) starting this summer. posting the numbers because i wished i'd found something concrete before negotiating.
my offer (remote-eligible, 2025 grad): base: 156k equity: 200k total grant over 4 years (so about 50k/yr at grant price). 1-year cliff then monthly vest. signing bonus: 20k estimated all-in year 1: about 226k (base + signing + equity at current price, not guaranteed)
i tried to negotiate. they moved the signing bonus from 15k to 20k and added a small equity bump (10k total grant). base was "fixed at band" per the recruiter. that tracks with what i heard from classmates.
other data points i collected before deciding: a classmate got 150k base, 180k grant, 15k signing a few months before me. similar role. a friend at a different level (had one internship at a FAANG) got 160k base, 220k grant.
things to know: the equity is AFRM stock. it's moved a lot over the past few years. factor that in. at the current price it's fine, but new grads at more stable big-tech companies get more predictable equity.
was it worth it over the other offers i had? i had offers from a late-stage startup (slightly higher base, no liquidity), a big enterprise software company (lower total comp, better stability), and affirm. i picked affirm because the product is real and i wanted early fintech depth on my resume. the learning environment in the interviews seemed strong.
the recruiting process was smooth. 4 rounds for the technical portion, all virtual. two LC medium questions, one system design (entry-level, high-level only), and one behavioral round.