Currently L6 SDM at Amazon with good team, project and leadership. Have good scope but L7 is at least a year out, may be more. A 300 people startup very close to IPO is offering similar comp at pre-IPO price. The role is VP of Engineering with broader scope managing multiple levels. The IPO may not happen. TC: 400K Location: Seattle YoE: 20 (10 in management) What are the potential upsides/downsides moving to this startup? Will title with the scope help to uplevel later? Would you do it? FWIW, I have managed people in startups before.
I'd take the startup offer in a heartbeat
May I ask your reasoning?
Way more room for stock appreciation
If you are excited about the startup and their prospects then that seems like a much more unique experience than being a manager at amazon. The vp experience could also open the door to you interviewing for l7/m2 roles in the future
That last part is what Iβm hoping.
I recently did the inverse - I moved from head of engineering at a small startup to L6 at Amazon. The main plus/minus from a compensation perspective is its liquidity. While an IPO may be coming soon - it also may not and there also may be a post-IPO lock-up period for your stock. So, a good portion of your comp may be less liquid than at Amazon. In addition, if the IPO doesnβt happen during your time at the company, you may choose to exercise your options at which time you will be taxed on the difference between your strike price and the FMV of the shares at exercise time (sorry if you already know this from other startups). So, you may have tax liability without shares you can directly sell to cover said liability. But, Iβm a big believer in choosing new experiences. Being a VP/Head of eng is a great experience and means that the technical buck stops with you. If you are OK with the comp risk listed above and you havenβt had such a role before, this could be a great experience. Amazon will always be there if you want to go back. Best of luck!
Very helpful. Thank you
Why do you think you deserve that 400K TC? L6 SDM is a front line manager of one team.
Life is unfair. Get used to it.