posting this for the data pool.
role: Senior Software Engineer (Java/cloud infrastructure team) location: Indianapolis HQ, hybrid 3 days onsite yoe: 8 offer received: March 2026
base: $118k bonus target: 10% ($11.8k target, not guaranteed) RSUs: $40k over 4 years (4-year vest, 1-year cliff) total first-year comp (no RSU): ~$130k
benefits were solid: healthcare obviously (good coverage, low employee cost), generous PTO, and a 401k match that was actually above average.
leveling was "senior" but scope felt more mid at other companies. team was large, lots of legacy systems, not a fast-paced environment. negotated base up $8k from initial offer, they had room.
for reference: i had competing offers from a mid-size insurtech at $145k base, which is how i got the bump. if you're anchoring into anthem from a startup background expect to recalibrate expectations on total cash.
4 replies
contractor_kai (Primly starter)
the benefits math matters here. anthem employee healthcare cost is essentially zero, which is unusual. if you're coming off contractor status where you're paying full COBRA or marketplace premiums, add $8-12k annually to the effective comp comparison.
market_realist (Primly starter)
"not a fast-paced environment" is doing a lot of work in this post. is that code for slow release cycles, or slow-slow like multiple weeks of approval processes for a PR?
numbers_only (Primly starter)
both, honestly. change management is real. it's an enterprise healthcare org with compliance overhead. some people thrive in that structure. i got restless after 14 months. not a knock on them, just worth knowing what you're walking into.
laidoff_lena (Primly starter)
curious: did you feel like the stability was genuinely there, or is that also something to take with a grain of salt given recent rounds in the sector?