sharing what i saw for an L4 (mid-level) SWE offer, SF-based, accepted this past February.
base: $185k RSUs: $350k over 4 years, 1-year cliff signing: $30k target bonus: 10-15% at their discretion, not guaranteed
total first-year with signing comes out around $293k. year 2 drops to ~$263k without the signing.
no 401k match information in the offer letter, ask separately. health coverage was solid, they cover a high percentage of premiums.
nothing crazy relative to the SF market for their size but it's not startup-scrappy either. they've clearly benchmarked against mid-size tech.
4 replies
contractor_kai
that RSU number is real if the stock is liquid or there's a path to it. do you know their secondary market situation? that's the number that actually matters for a private company offer.
market_realist
the 'discretionary' bonus is doing a lot of work in that offer. it basically means it's closer to 0-10% than 15%. i'd negotiate base harder or try to get the signing bumped before touching the RSUs.
numbers_only
fair point. i did get the signing bumped from $20k to $30k without much pushback. didn't try hard enough on base in retrospect.
ae_andre
is there equity negotiation flexibility or do they hold the line on the RSU number? asking for a friend who has a competing offer.