Disney vs Shopify
When I started applying I thought my TC was 140, so 160~180 sounded like an alright bump for same level at other companies. But Disney adjusted comp at the end of last year and I did the math and my TC this year will be 160 if I stay put. Disney = 124k base, 17k cash bonus, 20k rsu = 160k Pros - Tech stack and team - Wlb, remote for immediate future - new 6 month vesting of new rsus Cons - Lack of future growth. Product is mature, not seeing much of a future - A few people laid off and lots leaving in org - C-suite wants RTO in some capacity asap. Long commute I wasn't aware my TC was 160, I asked for 180, and received an offer from Shopify for 160. Shopify = 135k base, no cash bonus, 75k/3y = 160k Pros - Small new team hopefully means good opportunity to grow - Seems way more engineering focused than Disney - Forever remote - wlb Cons - Potential for additional stocks through achievement based rsus. No numbers on what that looks like - Worried about my employability after working with Ruby for a long time - First offer is technically 1k lower than my current TC - annual rsu vesting 1st yr, quarterly after - TC more at risk with recent market volatility TC 160 #disney #shopify #rivian #atlassian #tc #offer #swe #engineering #software
You can probably get Shopify to go up on RSUs, and you’ll learn a lot here. While ruby is popular, it isn’t the only tech here, and there’s nothing stopping you from maintaining other skills in your own time.
Take that ^^^ with a grain of salt. It depends on what team you’ll join, but expect to learn Ruby on Rails if you want to work here. I got burned by a similar comment when I was interviewing. Tobi the CEO is the real CTO and doesn’t like change much from what I can tell by being here for a little while. The main app is a giant monolith and even talk of breaking it up is heresy here.
Is my statement not grain of salt-y enough🤨 i think it’s common knowledge ruby is predominant here, but there are other languages in use.
You can always try a different team at Rivian. I did two rounds til the end and got the second one like the same month of rejection on the first one ! They’re independent
Shopify won’t negotiate, that offer is a straight middle of band for L5 and it’ll be nearly impossible to get a raise without a promo. Yeah there are refreshers, and it’s not too hard to get the highest impact rating if your manager can find good work for you. But you’ll be stuck in a role where you’re working for a company who won’t pay you market value when others in adjacent industry are making more. The only upside of your offer is that you’ll learn a lot at Shop and you’ll be joining when stock is at an all low, so if it bounces back that’s profit. Still suggest LC and find an offer elsewhere though
This! I came in at Shopify at the same TC as my previous company thinking I’d get a raise a year later. No such luck and with no bonus I was pretty immediately salty. They often under level when they hire and that leaves people feeling undervalued not long after starting. I was enamored with my manager only to switch managers 4 times in one year. I wouldn’t make the move to Shopify unless you’re able to negotiate a high enough salary that feels worth it to you. They truly are the cheapest tech company I’ve ever worked for and they nickel and dime and gaslight so hard just to not pay you market rate. Even when the company is raking it the $$$$$.
On levels I see someone in Sacramento (which is almost same col) with 2 yoe and a master's got 170 a few days ago. But I don't see any 180s. I feel like 200+ isn't really achievable in my area unless I get senior or MAANG level companies. One of my biggest concerns is that if I feel like leaving I'm going to have worse wlb and if I want to keep applying while I'm at Shopify I'm going to have the added pressure of being new, needing to prove myself, learning the stack, and trying to get those impact RSUs. Also did not know about the no salary increase.
TLDR?
Disney just improved existing comp to 161 TC Pros - stack, wlb, team, new 6 month RSU vesting Cons - lack of future growth, mature product, eventual RTO, previous layoffs. Shopify Initial offer 160 TC Pros - wlb, new small team more opportunity for growth, more eng focused company, forever remote Cons - less TC, Ruby, initial 1y for RSUs.
Btw the Disney cash bonus can have multiplier. Eg last last year was 1.33x My bonus was 20% but got 33% of the base.
Anything to get tf away from the toxic non-Engineering friendly culture at Disney. This place is a disaster!
I will confirm what others are saying about Shopify and urge you to look elsewhere. Some OGs are still drinking the Kool aid, but as someone that joined last year, the new layer of middle management is dragging down the engineering culture and the opportunities for advancement and additional comp are laughable. Despite stellar reviews and massive impact, any hopes of a base bump or additional RSUs have been shut down. Not to mention that my initial grant is worth half of what was originally promised due to the tanking stock price. Trust me, you should look elsewhere (I am).
I’d take Shopify over Disney though lol.
Disney has a bunch of great scala devs if you like scala