4 engineers at Amazon's pay rate.

4? In Seattle? No way, unless they're at a satellite office. Senior devs go for $130 ~ $180 in Washington (plus all the taxes and benefits; lower if you contract).

For $350k they'd get 2, maybe 3 tops. If you're taking low level interns, yea, they could probably get 6 ~ 8.

I read "4" as a joke about Amazon paying poorly (when compared to Facebook and Google)

Plus equity, health insurance, benefits, office space for them, equipment, food, taxes, blah blah blah $350k.

What a senior dev gets paid !== what a senior dev costs

Uh, at Amazon, junior devs go for around $120 if they don't negotiate well. Interns, last I checked, were close to $80.

If you fold in the TCO (benefits, computer / chair / licenses, etc.) for a senior engineer, the $350 isn't too far off.

I know full time devs there who were getting under $100k, granted this was 2-3 years ago.

I was at 94 base when I left. Started at 90 2 years before that.

Of course if you include stock it was 120ish.

Of course you include stock? That's part of the cost. I know four people that just started fresh out of no-name schools for $120 including stock.

Which one is going to stay long enough collect his stock at vesting?

I know four people just hired making $120k, not from name-brand schools?

Typical small minded HN user, the cost of an employee does not begin and end with salary.

or about a minute of revenue