offer i received last year, for reference. mid-senior SWE, based in East Setauket (Long Island, not NYC): base: $210k bonus: discretionary, told to expect 50-100% of base historically, they don't guarantee it no equity, no RSUs. RenTech is private and partnership-track is for a very small number of people after many years
total comp range depending on bonus: $315k-$420k range. that's for strong performers in a good fund year. the variance is real and intentional.
cost of living context: Long Island is not NYC but it's not cheap either. the no-equity thing is a genuine trade-off versus a public tech company. the bonus upside is real if the fund does well, which it has historically, but nothing is guaranteed.
didn't take the offer. going to a different place with more geographic flexibility. but the number was competitive.
4 replies
finance_faye
the no-equity structure is one of the things that trips people up when comparing. you have to model the expected value of that bonus against what you'd get in vested RSUs at a FAANG or growth-stage company. in a bad fund year, that bonus number could look very different.
contractor_kai
also worth noting they're private, so partnership upside is real but opaque. you'd need to be there many years and get very lucky or very good to see any of that. not how most people should be modeling their long-term comp.
numbers_only
correct. i modeled it as base + expected bonus only, with zero credit for partnership. that seemed like the honest way to evaluate it.
tired_recruiter
the East Setauket location filters out a lot of candidates even when the numbers are good. people see Long Island and assume it's a downgrade. for certain profiles it's fine, but it's a real geographic constraint that affects negotiating dynamics differently than an NYC or SF offer.