got an L6 SWE offer from robinhood last fall, ended up negotiating it up by a meaningful amount. sharing what worked because most of the advice floating around is generic.
what worked: competing offer, real and specific. i had a coinbase L6 offer that was higher in base. gave the recruiter the exact number (not a vague 'i have competing offers'). base moved $15k on robinhood's side within 48 hours. equity ask with rationale. i didn't just say 'can you add more equity.' i said the total comp gap vs my competing offer is approximately X, can you close it with RSUs? they came back with an additional $75k in equity. that's real money. i left the base alone after the first move and focused on equity. negotiating both simultaneously muddied the conversation. pick a lever.
what didn't move: signing bonus: they offered $0 initially, i asked for $25k to cover unvested equity i was leaving. they came back with $10k. i pushed once more and it stayed at $10k. apparently signing bonuses at robinhood are genuinely limited at L6, unlike at big tech. bonus target: not negotiable. 20% for L6, period. they were clear. start date: some flexibility but not much. they pushed back on anything past 4 weeks.
the general vibe:
the recruiter was professional. no pressure tactics, no expiring offers with 24-hour deadlines. they gave me 1 week on the written offer. i asked for a 3-day extension and got it without drama. honestly better experience than two previous big-tech negotiations i've been in.
one thing i'd do differently: i wish i'd asked earlier in the process what the level they were targeting was. i almost got leveled at L5 going in and only found out when the offer came. had i known, i'd have asked the hiring manager directly about the leveling criteria.