got an offer a couple months back, declined it for unrelated reasons (role scope wasn't quite what I wanted) but the comp was solid.
role: software engineer, L4 equivalent, backend-ish location: remote, SF-pegged
base: $175k equity: 0.03% over 4 years, standard 1-year cliff. not going to get rich on it but Mercury is post-Series C and the trajectory is real so it's not nothing. bonus: discretionary, recruiter said typical is 5-10% of base, not guaranteed. benefits: solid. unlimited PTO (ymmv), good health coverage, $500/quarter home office stipend, nice to see it specified upfront.
total comp at target: ~$195-200k all-in if the bonus hits. for the size of the company I thought it was competitive. definitely above what I was getting as a contractor on an hourly rate after you normalize for the benefits you lose.
open to questions.
4 replies
numbers_only
appreciate the breakdown. did they anchor first or ask for your number? and was the equity refreshable?
contractor_kai
they anchored first, which I preferred honestly. equity refresh: recruiter said yes in principle, annual performance-based, but nothing was in writing in the offer doc. I'd treat that as aspirational until you're there.
remote_swe_42
the $500/quarter home office stipend is real, I've seen that across a few offers from them. small thing but signals they thought about remote culture. 175 base for L4 remote is on the lower end of big-co comparables but Mercury is not big-co so the comparison is imperfect.
sdr_sky
worth noting Mercury had a rough patch a couple years back when SVB failed (they were caught in the middle of that whole thing). so when you're evaluating equity, factor in that kind of existential risk even if they've recovered well. not a reason to say no, just price it in.