Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without working there?

Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by tiffanyh on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @11:27AM (#41046992)

Statistically, you'll make more money working for someone else than working for yourself (and have a better work/life balance as well).

And you might say, "well - you'll never become a billionaire working for someone else".

That's not true.

There's plenty of CEOs (non-founders) who are billionaires.

And the chances of you running your own company and becoming a billionaire, is about the same as you becoming a CEO at a Fortune 500.

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by anticorporate on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @01:10PM (#41048443)

While true, I'd suggest if someone's career choices are primarily motivated by a desire to become a billionaire, they are not making rational career choices anyway and are likely to be unswayed by, you know, evidence.

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by randomdata on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @02:24PM (#41049195)

> There's plenty of CEOs (non-founders) who are billionaires.

Being a business owner doesn't necessarily mean being the founder.

No CEO is becoming a billionaire by collecting a paycheque. They might become a billionaire by accepting the right stock offer in lieu of wages, but that makes them the business owner again.

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by mciancia on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @02:36PM (#41049317)

With that logic, most (every?) SWE working at faang is a business owner since they all get stock options/rsu

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by randomdata on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @02:41PM (#41049367)

Absolutely. FAANG wages are certainly competitive, but not out of line from what you can make in any old Poducksville software company. It is the becoming an owner of FAANG that sets them apart financially.

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by tiffanyh on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @05:00PM (#41050803)

> No CEO is becoming a billionaire by collecting a paycheque.

Yes, they can and do.

  Safra Catz, $2B - CEO Oracle
  Sheryl Sandberg, $2B - Meta
  Jamie Dimon, $1B+ - CEO Chase

and many more (Andy Jassy, Tim Cook, Satyna Nadella, ...)

https://www.forbes.com/profile/safra-catz/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/18/how-shery....

https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-career

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Re:Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without wor... by randomdata on Tuesday July 23, 2024 @05:19PM (#41051019)

Did you go to all of the trouble of writing that comment because you wanted us to laugh at you? All of those people are clearly in that position because they are business owners.

Granted, Catz seems to have recently sold off a large stake of her ownership. But the cash proceeds of that sale still came from being the owner at one point, not from a salary. Nobody becomes a billionaire off a regular paycheque.

Hell, even FAANG software developer compensation is really only notable because the total package includes becoming an owner of the company. The wage portion isn't that much different than any other random tech company.

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