Got an offer from a decacorn start-up. TC would be around $450k for the first year but could very likely go up to $800k if their stocks live up to the expectation. So it's good on the money side, considering I am making way less now ($320k tc). The role though, isn't what I like the most. I was told I would be a software engineer working on cloud platforms, but almost all of my prospective co-workers have a devops and sysadmin background. I am not too optimistic about the long term growth. Should I chase the money? TC: $320k Yoe: 6
Had me at the first sentence. Absolutely.
I've always been a software engineer and wanted to continue building my software engineering skills. I am afraid if I want to jump ships in couple of years my skills might actually get worse given I'd have been doing devops work for two years. Not sure if the money is worth the long term (potential) loss?
On the flip side of that, are you willing to give up a (potential) win with a decacorn start up? You could potentially be making almost 1M TC if it works out. High risk high reward. You can always LC or do side personal projects to keep your skills fresh if you arent going to be coding much in this role.
I agree and you already have google on your resume so I’m sure you could bounce back!
Hey out of curiosity, did you apply to them or did they seek you out?
$450K all liquid from a startup?
Half of it is in RSUs.
If the startup is not yet public then those RSUs aren't worth anything. You're discounting the cush life at Google. We're in the middle of a pandemic and you still have your job and get paid. Think a startup would care about you? Hell no, first sign of trouble you're out of a job and in the soup kitchen
Airbnb?
What is your TC if the startup folds? Can you survive 6 months without pay? 10+ years of growing economy is way different than what we have coming. I’d be conservative, but no risk no reward. Be honest with yourself and what you are getting into.
I’d do it if you have a solid track record at Google (so you can come back) and have enough savings. High risk, high reward.
So since you said half of the TC is equity, you are expecting the company to have a 3X exit? I don't know. I just don't see any decacorn right now that is well positioned to achieve that, especially in this market environment.
2-3 yes. This one is doing very well revenue wise. I know because a close friend works at the business department over there and still is optimistic. My main hesitation now is about the long term career path.
Decacorns are unlikely to increase 2-3x in value in the near future. You are taking a big risk given the current circumstances with covid19
Yes