just went through an offer for a mid-level computational role (they called it level 3 or something equivalent). wanted to share because the structure confused me at first.
my offer: base was $200k, bonus target was 50% but they were clear it can vary significantly based on firm and individual performance. no equity in the traditional FAANG sense. total comp at target would be around $300k in NYC.
the lack of equity is the thing people either like or don't. if you're used to FAANG RSUs with 4-year vesting cliffs, this feels different. but they also pointed out the bonus has historically been paid, often above target. i have no way to verify that.
for context i have 6 years of experience, strong coding background, some distributed systems work. NYC-based.
tldr: base-heavy, bonus-dependent, no equity. does that work for you depends entirely on your situation.
5 replies
numbers_only
this matches the data i've seen. the bonus variability is real. in strong years it's been meaningfully above target. in weaker years it compresses. that's just the reality of working for a firm whose revenue swings with markets.
finance_faye
from a financial planning standpoint: a variable bonus at that magnitude is real compensation risk. $300k at target is great but you should model for 80% of target when making housing/savings decisions, not 100%. the upside is real but it's not guaranteed.
contractor_kai
this is actually good framing. i've been thinking about it exactly this way. the base covers the fixed expenses, i treat the bonus as variable upside.
frontend_fran
worth noting that the FAANG equity comparison cuts both ways. if the stock drops 30% your RSUs are worth proportionally less too. a cash bonus from a firm with strong fundamentals might actually be more predictable than Google RSUs have been lately.
market_realist
the no-equity thing is a dealbreaker for some people and that's valid. just know what you're optimizing for before you compare offers apples-to-apples.