I’m very lucky to get offers from great companies and I’d like to hear what experienced people think would be the best place to start my career. Any insights would also be appreciated! I’m looking for: (first listed has more priority) job stability, immigration help (currently on a student visa and used to hold J-1), great engineering practice, growth and learning opportunities, high TC (due to my huge and timely student loan). Base/Signon/RSU Microsoft: 136/100/200 TC~$224k (avg over 4 years including target bonus) Org: Azure Stripe: 134/70/(78 per year) with $10k relocation TC~$246k (avg over 4 years including target bonus) Team: needs to match after signing Google: Still under negotiation Product Area: Google Cloud Compute For Stripe, it will take a long time to turn RSU into real money and that’s my significant concern. I want to feel motivated, supported, and happy at work, so people and culture are important to me. *All are in Seattle Greater Area
Is there a meme for chad new grad Microsoft offer versus virgin industry hire offer
Ehh I’m not identified as chad but I’m curious to see the meme. 😬
Thank you for the comment! May I ask you opinion on this?
Sure, given there isn’t much difference in comp, google is better than Microsoft to have on resume and has better refreshers. Coming to stripe, not sure how yearly vesting works but if they calculate price at start of every year you will get more stocks worth at google or Microsoft and google is more stable than stripe
Google and Microsoft would probably start green card sponsorship on day 1
Google refreshers are much better then MSFT.
Microsoft’s base for L60 in the Seattle area isn’t 136k, is it? Thought it was 121k.
Apparently, I was offered L61. Should I go to the one with higher level or lower level, assuming TC are about the same?
Oh wow didn’t know MSFT gave L61 to new grads. Do you have any past experience?
I think you'll make the most money + get promoted fastest at Stripe. Don't think you need to worry too much about RSUs not being "real" money at vest, especially considering your 1 year cliff won't be until 2023. However, these are all great offers and you should go with whatever team/manager feels best.
I was in the same predicament choosing between Stripe, FB and Google with 5 YOE and all TC were relatively the same. I chose Google purely for the team. +1 to above poster; you can't go wrong with any of these choices
Those are great advices. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!! I also agree that I’m choosing among all great options, so it’s hard to go wrong with any.
Can I get an F? Did terrible my stripe onsite. Couldn’t understand the asian guy’s accent, even tho the man was nice
That one round will get me a reject
For a new hire, I would suggest Google (assuming TC is in the similar range). Few reasons for this: - You want to be able to pay down student debt, so Google/Microsoft already being public will make this easier (if you want to sell shares to pay off debt). - I think for a lot of new grads, it's good to work at a more established company. Microsoft and Google have dealt with huge problems of scale and operate in a way that works. I would argue that right now Stripe probably has more opportunity to solve interesting problems though, but as they continue to scale they will need to do a lot of things that Microsoft/Google have already solved for. Working at a MSFT/Google will give you that perspective if you choose to move to a smaller company. - I'm not familiar with issues around working visas, but I'm sure MSFT/Google are going to be great with both. I know MSFT in particular is popular with people on H1-B visas because they have an office in Vancouver that people move to if they miss the lottery too many times, and the transition is much easier. - In terms of overall long-lasting compensation I would say the winners are Google/Stripe. Microsoft refreshers aren't great and rely on Special Stock Awards (SSAs) that are very VERY opaque, and they even move quickly to take down whatever posts they can on Blind to suppress that information. A lot of people have been griping that Google has not been generous to new hires, but that is not true for new grads: all tech companies are hungry for new grad talent because they're some of the most reliable performers (this has generally been true in my experience). Stripe also has a different equity policy where instead of being given grants up front that vest, they give you a guaranteed $ amount of equity every year. This means if the stock tanks, you still get the same amount, but if there's a lot of growth you don't really benefit unless you hold on. A lot of people on Blind don't like this, but I don't personally mind it. I think no matter what you choose, it's going to be a great experience! I recently moved from Microsoft to Stripe, but don't regret my time at Microsoft at all. If their refreshers were more competitive (or even stayed in-line with their initial grants) there would be a lot less griping, and I might not have left. Hope this insight helps!
Wow that’s very helpful. Thank you for spending your precious time writing this out! I decided to go with Google offer. Even though the avg-over-4yr comp is less than MSFT, adding minimum refreshers to it will make the TC similar to MSFT. And I believe that I’d get promoted during those 4 years too, plus I’m excited to learn how Google engineers work. Thanks so much for your thoughts on this!!
Congrats! I think it will be a great experience, and obviously I think it was the right choice. If/when you choose to leave you'll have plenty of great opportunities. Wish you the best in your career!
PhD? Feel like u can’t go wrong with any of these
I got Master’s degree! Thanks for affirming :)
What’s your visa requirements? Stripe may not be a great place to start with if you need Green Card asap. MSFT/Google are the best for immigration benefits. After you get your GC, you can go and work anywhere.