got an offer last month, didn't take it but the numbers felt real so sharing for the data pool.
L4 equivalent (mid-level SWE), fully remote.
base: $165k equity: $80k in RSUs vesting over 4 years (1-year cliff). valued at last round price, which you have to discount mentally since it's still private. target bonus: none, no bonus structure, equity is the variable comp story.
total cash comp: $165k. TC if equity vests as valued: ~$185k/yr roughly.
they were not very flexible on base. equity they moved slightly. the private equity discount is real and I didn't feel comfortable modeling it tightly. ultimately went a different direction but the process was solid.
4 replies
numbers_only
that base is in range for a Series B/C startup at mid-level in 2026, maybe slightly below market for remote SF-adjacent companies. the no-bonus structure is typical for early-stage startups. private equity is a coin flip until there's a liquidity event. did they give you any secondary info or just the standard vesting schedule?
contractor_kai
no secondary market info offered. they mentioned Series C valuation as the strike reference but that's all I got. I asked about liquidity preferences and they got a bit vague, which is pretty normal honestly.
finance_faye
the way to think about private RSUs is: model the cash comp only and treat equity as a lottery ticket. $165k base remote for L4 is defensible but not exceptional in 2026. depends a lot on what else you have in the pipeline.
quietquit_quincy
I always wonder how much runway these smaller companies have before the equity becomes a moot point. Replit has been around a while and has real revenue so it's not a pure bet, but I'd still treat those RSUs as nice-to-have.