In an interesting situation, got a PM director offer for Fortune 500 company(e-commerce platform) . Expected tc: 400k base and bonus (don’t seem to give stock as listed abroad). Con: not a great tech brand, unsure about work culture , growth and tech stack. Also have a pre ipo tech startup which pays 290k cash (base plus bonus) plus little startup stock (paper money) . It’s a principal PM role, but heard good reviews and product culture seems to be good. Con: it’s a niche data tool, Not sure about exit options here as I fear I may be boxed into a specific role. Obviously cash is slightly more at option 1, but want to know will a Fortune 500 open more options in future to other leadership positions or play safer with a tech company.
How much is the paper money?
Probably 70k per year in the current valuation and they have to ipo at current valuation (already 2 bn$)
That’s not a lot for pre IPO. You need to ask them what’s ARR. right now many data tools are overvalued.
In this economy, I suggest the Fortune 500
What is your YoE
12 plus, not everything is in product. Initial 3 years as dev
Go with the Fortune 500 director role. The title matters and will give you good opportunities a few years down the line. I fell for this trap earlier and realize that title is what matters even if it pays you slightly less. You will make a ton more in the long run
Interesting, the f500 brand is more like LG, Samsung, Whirlpool . Household name but not a tech name
Doesn’t matter. After a few years as director there, you will atleast get a L7 role in the big tech. They won’t bring you in lower than that. It’s weird how this shit works
Title and brand always matter to companies including start ups.
Do you mean even a good title in startups help?
It depends on the reputation of startups.
I wouldn't "expect" anything nowadays w/r/t pay. That being said, brands are what you make of them, you can always learn about the company's work culture and the like. I would avoid startups if you have a choice -- don't worry about it being a 'niche data tool'; those are often acquired by larger companies where you will probably be making your money. It's ultimately up to you which path you take.
Yeah data tool is used by Salesforce, intuit and others
Branding is everything what will most other people recognize. I had a buddy take a crap job at IBM out of school and he accelerated his career—through job hops—faster than any of the rest of my friends who went no names.
Yeah no one will know the pre ipo startup name outside of data teams , whereas the other one is somewhat an household name