Re:Ask HN: FAANG employees, how are the recent stock decline...
by dunpeal on Tuesday October 30, 2018 @11:34AM
(#18337590)
> That's why you should always negotiate hard on the base salary and signing bonus. These are guaranteed money not like RSU's.
The two FAANGs I have personal experience with aren't very flexible when it comes to base salary, though. In both cases, during offer negotiations, I was told the base salary is strictly tied to levels of seniority in the organizational hierarchy, so there's effectively no room for maneuvering there.
RSUs were much more flexible, especially after the first couple of years.
RSUs were also a more important part of the compensation. My initial package in one FAANG was about 55% RSUs, 45% cash, and I was told that going forward my RSU component will increase even further, and in particular most bonuses and raises will be granted in RSUs.
So I'm not sure "negotiating hard" is a viable strategy in FAANG compensation discussions. They can be quite generous with RSUs, but cash policy is often strict and inflexible.
The two FAANGs I have personal experience with aren't very flexible when it comes to base salary, though. In both cases, during offer negotiations, I was told the base salary is strictly tied to levels of seniority in the organizational hierarchy, so there's effectively no room for maneuvering there.
RSUs were much more flexible, especially after the first couple of years.
RSUs were also a more important part of the compensation. My initial package in one FAANG was about 55% RSUs, 45% cash, and I was told that going forward my RSU component will increase even further, and in particular most bonuses and raises will be granted in RSUs.
So I'm not sure "negotiating hard" is a viable strategy in FAANG compensation discussions. They can be quite generous with RSUs, but cash policy is often strict and inflexible.