Why Google lowballs that much?

New tremen

May 14 62 Comments

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I would really love to join Google, but they lowball too much! Does anyone know why that is?

I’ve recently interviewed at FAANG and I feel my interview performance has been consistent across all the companies, yet the results were very different:

FB: E5 offer, ~390k TC
Netflix: ~400k TC
Google: L4 offer, < 300k TC (~270)

So, even if I really would like to join Google, it won’t be the smart move for me.

Yoe: 8

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TOP 62 Comments

Netflix quickster
Google used to be small. They went for quality over quantity. Now Google is large. They go for quantity over quality. Neither is right or wrong. It all reflects their judgment of value on the margin.
May 1422 0
Facebook public2
270,000 is a "lowball" rofl. That's barely the income of 5 average families. You should sue someone.
May 1416 8
- Qualcomm dynasty001
  Dont worry. The tax man will take half that
  May 141
- Amazon UKBV06
  You’re trying to be cheeky but it just makes it seem like you don’t understand what the word “relative” means.
  May 142
- Facebook public2
  Relative implies they could be compared ;)
  May 140
- Amazon UKBV06
  Check out this post! "Facebook vs Google vs Netflix (Tech Careers)"
  https://us.teamblind.com/s/ZEivXq52
  
  Shame that everyone votes G over FB then 😆
  May 140
- Google / Eng🍑☁️
  Lowballness is relative to your own value, not other people's value. If I offer Beyonce $100,000 to perform at my festival, it's a lot of money for most people but it's still a lowball for her
  May 142
- Facebook public2
  OP is not beyonce...
  May 150
- Google / Eng🍑☁️
  You're missing my point. I'm saying it's possible to get offered what is in absolute terms a lot of money, and to still have it be a lowball. That logic is not unique to Beyonce.
  May 150
- Facebook public2
  I get your point but a lowball assumes malicious intent to misvalue something or someone based on market value. Market value of a no name employee is am art, not a science. Offering 60k would have been a lowball, offering a standard salary for a specific role/level is not a lowball.
  May 150
Google Elpf68
I am pretty sure you're competitive but Google doesn't five a fuck. It doesn't need good engineers to do the work now. It's becoming AWS or sth that needs more and more work force rather than high quality engs.
May 1412 6
- New tremen
  OP
  Yeah. It just sucks because I went through some team matching calls and there were some really interesting projects... in infra.
  May 140
- Apple kICY04
  This guy is absolutely correct. Most companies don’t need that many great engineers. Just monkeys who can write code at fast speed.
  May 140
- New tremen
  OP
  So if you are an ambitious engineer (don’t know about great) who really wants to learn a lot and push himself, where should I go?
  May 141
- Google / Englbtm+1
  It sounds crazy.. but Google is still a good choice, there are plenty of interesting projects and internal resources. And you have the freedom to explore or initiate sth .. but Google really sucks in perf and team matching. If you joined, you'd find that it's SO much easier to switch to a team you are interested in(but typically after one year) and you have better sense that what they are actually doing..
  Google is the only job I have ever had so maybe I have bias. But I do have many FANG friends. I feel that it's fair to say the above.
  The problem is that they don't want to give you L5 which makes your package significantly lower than expectation. It's a normal package for L4.
  May 141
- New pbYo77
  Is it actually that easy to switch teams at Google?
  May 141
- Google / EngEIFY
  The precondition is that the team must have headcounts. YMMV
  May 140
Seagate toti420
Real reason: people put Google on a pedestal and Google knows it.
May 1414 1
- Oracle / Engaham
  This. If you are not happy with the offer, walk away!
  May 140
Bloomberg iVX372
Ask if you can interview for L5 without losing your L4 offer.

Btw, Google is a much better place to work than FB or NFLX, and Google recruiters know it. In a recent Blind poll, 92% of Netflixers, 76% of Amazonians and 46% of FB'ers are afraid of being fired. That should show you the toxicity of their cultures. At Google, that number is 16%.
May 141 12
- Facebook public2
  It's not and wasn't :). Would never trust a blind poll on anything. Sanity check your own numbers: 92% of Netflix is afraid of being fired? That is possibly true in your mind lol? 92% of people barely like ice cream...
  May 140
- Amazon gizB15
  This idiot just cited a blind poll. Bloomberg you really are dumb
  May 142
- Bose sockerfan
  Netflix is famous for layoffs though
  May 140
- Bloomberg iVX372
  Netflix's culture deck explicitly states "average performers receive severance packages." Meanwhile, Amazon is well known for its forced attrition policy of firing the 10% bottom performers every year, as verified by many Blind posts.
  
  To refute a claim backed by evidence with personal attacks and without any evidence constitutes ad hominem. Who is dumb here?
  
  You can find the poll by searching Blind for this:
  
  "FAANG PIP or layoff risk"
  May 140
- Facebook public2
  Ok great, so now you see exactly how ridiculous 92% fearing a 10% layoff would be or are you still confused and trust small biased internet populations?
  May 140
- Bloomberg iVX372
  The number is 76% at Amazon, not 92%. It's not ridiculous at all. Everyone without an EE performance rating could justifiably fear it. When everyone is doing their best and less than 10% of people actually suck, the PIP's can be somewhat random and political
  May 151
- Facebook public2
  I hope math or stats isn't part of your job sir lol
  May 150
- Bloomberg iVX372
  Actually, it is. None of your replies here have contained any mathematical or statistical analysis, unlike mine.
  
  I will admit that the sample sizes in the poll may not be significant for a p-value of 0.05 in statistically testing the hypothesis that FB's SWE PIP fear rate is higher than that of the average, for all companies in the poll. However, for Amazon and Netflix it obviously is without even running the numbers.
  
  EDIT: percentages may be slightly off because I last calculated them when that poll was published, memorized them and haven't recalculated since. But they're not far off
  May 150
- Facebook public2
  Haha I actually laughed out loud. Either amazing trolling or craziness. Thanks.
  May 150
- AnchorFree Israel
  Netflix is open about their policy to fire anyone who is not a best performer and they want everyone to do their best.
  5d0
Amazon seattle'dmore
You have two excellent offers.
May 142 2
- New tremen
  OP
  Yeah but Google is the company in which I have the most long term belief in. They are so diversified that they will keep thriving by definition. FB and NFLX seems much less defensible.
  May 140
- Accenture Mulch
  Isn't like 90% of Google's revenue still coming from ads? They're pretty diverse in terms of products they've built out, but it doesn't seem like something they'd continue long term if they continue to be unprofitable, or at least not directing revenue to their money maker.
  May 145
Seagate toti420
Join NFLX and tell them to stop offering suggestions on my account. Can’t have the in-laws know what I’ve been watching 😂
May 145 1
- Oracle / Engaham
  Just create a different profile 😐
  May 140
Google WarrenBuff
Dude, go to FB. What's the big deal?

Reject the offer. Both are same tier.
May 144 1
- Salesforce curious01
  But FB is toxic and stressful
  2d0
Apple industry
google fucked you up lmao
May 143 0
CenturyLink ml7hsg6
Did you present them these competing offers yet?
May 142 1
- New tremen
  OP
  I did. They say they can’t match it, they say the offer is consistent with the band they placed me in.
  May 140
Google HLvr72
that's because your level at Google is only L4. that's below the level FB offered you. If you had gotten L5 offer, they will beat your competing offer
May 142 0
Amazon seattle'dmore
Google offer for which location?
May 141 1
- New tremen
  OP
  This is all in the Bay
  May 140
Google jyfR24
Shouldn’t you have interviewed for L5 in the first place?
May 141 0
New ZoomDec
Ask for extra interviews for L5 maybe ?
May 141 0
Amazon / EngDeepObsess
Even L5 at Google won't get you $390k
May 140 1
- Alibaba vjqX22
  ~400 is def doable with L5
  May 150
Facebook Mannw
But even for a L4, TC is lower than same level in FAANG. No?
May 140 1
- Google WarrenBuff
  Dude, 300 for L4 is low?
  May 140
Salesforce curious01
How to crack an L5 interview ? What is expected to get L5 ?
2d0 0
thredUP JncA02
Can I ask how did you study to get some compensation packages. Did you study leetcode? How many problems and what topics of problems did you study?
May 150 0
Minted choloman
L4 matches E5. Google's bar is a bit higher and their L4 band reaches all the way to mid E5 at fb. Google is usually willing to match unless you didn't perform well during the interview
May 150 0
Amazon / EngDeepObsess
Perhaps Google HC are pressured to hire more so they down level some people whom they would have rejected earlier?
May 150 0
Alibaba vjqX22
L4 range = 260 ~ 330. 270 is a median offer. I think you can up to 320, but it’ll be hard to match ~400 with L4. Ask for additional interview for L5.

Best of luck!
May 150 0
Google / Engcvsemore
Did you negotiate? They should match if interviews went well and you leverage those competing offers.
May 150 0
LinkedIn bl[in]d123
For the same level, Google can match other companies, eg L5 V.S. E5. The problem is that they down level - I got offers for level 5 in FB and Uber, but Goog would only offer level 4.
May 140 0
Google / Product4pmCoffee
Ask for an L5 loop, you shall get it, either way nothing to lose
May 140 0
Amazon ChivalryAF
Which role?
May 140 0
Beckon / EngdBqe01
The reason is that you got down leveled.
One can get a L4 offer with as low as 3 YoE.
You should ask additional interviews for L5 or you might have already failed for L5.
May 140 0
New / ITBcDM68
How many interviews have you gave at google onsite?
May 140 0

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Why Google lowballs that much?

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