Just went through the Databricks negotiation process. Posting the actual playbook because the generic advice doesn't capture how they operate.
What didn't move: Base salary. Full stop. My recruiter was pleasant but very clear that base is banded tightly and the band for my level was $185k-$210k (remote senior SWE). I started at $185k and got it to $190k but when I pushed further she literally said "I'm at the top of what I can approve without VP sign-off and that's going to take 2 weeks."
What moved: Equity. I came in at $380k over 4 years. After one counter citing a competing offer (I had a real one from a public company), they came up to $460k. That's $80k in additional equity for one email.
Sign-on also moved. Initial offer was $30k. Asked for $50k to offset the unvested equity I was leaving behind at my current employer. Recruiter came back with $45k. Fine.
How I framed the competing offer: I didn't bluff and I didn't send the actual offer letter (they asked, I declined politely). I described the package in general terms: "I have an offer from a public company at L5 level, the base is comparable but the equity is fully liquid and at current market price is worth roughly X annually. To make this a clear decision for me I'd need the Databricks equity to be closer to Y to account for the liquidity discount." That framing worked.
What I wish I'd known: Go into this knowing equity is your lever. Don't waste energy on base. And the liquidity discount framing is exactly the right way to think about it because it's also how their equity team thinks about it.