Why is Qualcomm’s pay so low?

Google
io kr

Go to company page Google

io kr
Mar 22, 2021 26 Comments

They seem to be doing well. However my friend got an offer from Qualcomm Atheros in San Jose:

97k base
No bonus mentioned in the offer letter
22.5k worth of RSUs over 3 years.

My friend had 1 yoe as an analog verification engineer.

This is poverty level wage in the Bay Area, right😂 did Qualcomm not know about the job market?

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TOP 26 Comments
  • Apple
    toploser

    Go to company page Apple

    toploser
    They want bottom tier talent and pay aligns well with their vision. There’s a market for all kind of talent and companies hiring that talent.
    Mar 22, 2021 10
    • Apple
      ki45voq7y

      Go to company page Apple

      ki45voq7y
      why would top talent work for low compensation? So if you are highly talented why would you work for someone who doesn’t respects your talent and doesn’t compensates you well. This is common sense.
      Apr 2, 2021
    • Because the hiring process is not efficient enough to base this judgement on, there’s a lot more luck involved especially for new grads who don’t have experience to show for their talent. Working at Qualcomm doesn’t mean you’re a bottom tier talent just like working at Apple doesn’t mean you’re a top tier talent. Get off your high horse if that’s what you tell yourself at night lol. Imagine being this arrogant
      Apr 2, 2021
  • Facebook / Eng
    dynasty002

    Go to company page Facebook Eng

    dynasty002
    Let me share a few tidbits:

    Qualcomm has different tiers of pay.

    People saying Qcom offers $100k base pay in SD are probably talking about dev teams. I personally know new grads who got offers in modem system test teams for $98k base in SD . $98k in SD is a very competitive salary ( for reference Teradata pays $80k for new grads in San Diego).

    The typical NCG offer at SD is $98-$102k base, RSU $40k/3 , sign on $22.5k , relocation $8k (if you negotiate)

    Qualcomm’s internal comp philosophy changed when i was there in 2019. Earlier (who remembers the TRR era ? Say woot!) there was no concept of “fixed refreshers” . It was upto the Directors to hand them out . Now (AR era) its all formulaic and based on your perf rating the refreshers are granted .

    Over the years(i joined at $92k base and $15k RSUs back in 2015) Qualcomm has made their comp extremely competitive for the region (SD) especially compared to other mid tier companies out their.

    Qualcomm has figured out that they can get away with making world class modems without paying more. This has been working for them for decades especially since they are near monopoly in modem space (samsung exynos or whatever the fruit company is building can go pound sand lol ).

    Therefore all this boils down to is simple business strategy.

    That being said OPs friend might have received an offer from a non-core team ( Modem , Camera and GPU are core teams with higher pay. Modem folks even have a separate pay scale !) .

    And yea $98k in Bay Area is laughable even for non core teams. However they can ask to be moved to a team in SD and enjoy sunny SD .
    Mar 25, 2021 4
    • I’m in a analog team (won’t go into more details)

      As a senior my base is 120k , and I get about 35k stocks / 3 years + 10k cash bonus each year. (As stated above bonuses are performance based so it could vary)

      It may not sound like much but I’m in SD and that salary can buy me a fairly nice house here, so it works for me.
      Mar 26, 2021
    • Facebook / Eng
      dynasty002

      Go to company page Facebook Eng

      dynasty002
      Thanks ! When i left Modem SW my base was $125k as Senior
      Mar 26, 2021
  • They pay around 100k base for San Diego . How can your friend get 97k in Bay Area. Something is messed up
    Mar 23, 2021 1
  • That base is too low. He/she can get base $110k
    Mar 23, 2021 0
  • GumGum / Eng
    Tifosi17

    Go to company page GumGum Eng

    Tifosi17
    1. Hardware salaries are much lower.
    2. Qualcomm does pay on the lower side.
    3. 97k seems low even for Qualcomm. Your friend most likely didn't do well on the interview.
    Mar 22, 2021 0