going perm from contract so I care a lot about structure, not just headline number. sharing what I got:
Role: Software Engineer (L3 equivalent, they call it SWE II internally) Location: Hawthorne, CA Base: $148k Equity: RSUs, $80k over 4 years (1-year cliff). this is much lighter than big tech. Bonus: discretionary, no guarantee, team said it was 5-10% in good years Signing: $10k
total first-year cash around $158k, all-in year 1 with equity around $178k if RSUs hit. for a contractor going perm the benefits package is actually solid, full medical/dental, 401k match.
for context: I had competing offers around $185-200k TC from mid-stage startups, but the mission thing is real and the Hawthorne site is genuinely exciting to work at. didn't try to negotiate hard because my competing offers were startup equity, harder to compare.
if you're coming from FAANG, you'll likely take a step back on TC. if you're coming from aerospace or mid-stage startup, it's probably lateral or a modest step up.