Is it a good time to join Uber/Airbnb/Slack/Stripe/Lyft

LinkedIn / Eng
πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa

Go to company page LinkedIn Eng

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Dec 9, 2018 42 Comments

I am a senior at LinkedIn data infra. US citizen and have no visa issues. Enjoying my time at LinkedIn doing good backend distributed systems work. Have done a lot of leetcoding and very strong in coding and systems interviews. Does it make sense to give it a shot to the pre ipo companies which are going to go ipo (mostly very soon): Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Slack and Stripe? TC: 350k and Yoe 8 years. I feel even in the worst case (if the stocks crash in those companies) my TC will be greater than 350k

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TOP 42 Comments
  • LinkedIn / Eng
    πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa

    Go to company page LinkedIn Eng

    πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa
    OP
    I think all of those companies will give me 800k plus rsus for 4 years if I have competing offers given my experience. Correct me if I am wrong
    Dec 9, 2018 8
  • It seems like the right time to join Uber and Lyft was 3 years ago. Especially Lyft. Those $1million grants seniors got in 2016 are now going to be worth $5million. If you join now, you'll be at the mercy of the stock market for the next 4 years which isn't good.
    Dec 9, 2018 5
  • Airbnb
    f4d

    Go to company page Airbnb

    f4d
    I’m sorry to tell you that Senior at LinkedIn is equivalent to L4 at any of the companies listed. Play around with levels.fyi.

    You need a promo to Staff at LinkedIn to have any hope of getting 350k or even 300k anywhere else (because then you could make L5). As is you are stuck.
    Dec 9, 2018 3
    • Square / Eng
      BYOcheese

      Go to company page Square Eng

      BYOcheese
      It’s doable. I had about the same YOE as OP, but mostly at startups. I was senior at a startup (with no real way to compare levels to other companies) and I got L5a at Uber. You just have to prep and do well on interviews.
      Dec 10, 2018
    • Airbnb
      f4d

      Go to company page Airbnb

      f4d
      Jumping from a startup without any known level comparison seems like an easier hurdle.

      OP is decidedly L4 with a fancy title looking for a level bump upon switching. These companies will literally look at levels.fyi and say no.

      That is, unless somehow data infra eng at LI are underleveled relative to the rest of the company.
      Dec 10, 2018
  • Airbnb
    airtime

    Go to company page Airbnb

    airtime
    Given your TC and that you are enjoying your work, why switch for a slightly higher but riskier comp? Just buy the stocks when they go public.
    Dec 9, 2018 3
    • LinkedIn / Eng
      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa

      Go to company page LinkedIn Eng

      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa
      OP
      Thanks. However I cannot buy 800k worth stocks. It’s not just for money but the whole ipo experience and fast growth. Plus for me to really go lower than 350k Uber’s valuation after ipo must go to 30B which I feel is too low for Uber
      Dec 9, 2018
    • Google
      ovBk62

      Go to company page Google

      ovBk62
      What fast growth? IPO no longer means what it meant 10 years back. Uber and Airbnb and all have more engineers than many public companies out there, probably including LinkedIn.
      Dec 10, 2018
  • Airbnb
    Sasasasasa

    Go to company page Airbnb

    Sasasasasa
    What level are you right now? Your YOE is irrelevant. If you are Senior Staff at Linkedin and can get L6 then yes you will get higher elsewhere.

    If you are currently Staff and can get L5 then you will get similar or modestly higher (325-400k) offers at Uber/Airbnb/Lyft. So you’ll just be taking a bet on the IPO outcome.
    Dec 9, 2018 5
    • LinkedIn / Eng
      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa

      Go to company page LinkedIn Eng

      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa
      OP
      @yshard75 I have 8.5 years of work experience and no way Uber will give me 4a. I am on the higher end of senior and close to staff. I know a lot of linked data infra folks who went from senior to senior at Uber and Airbnb. The question is whether it’s 5a or 5b and it looks obvious that it is going to be 5a
      Dec 9, 2018
    • LinkedIn / Eng
      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa

      Go to company page LinkedIn Eng

      πŸ‘πŸ˜€πŸŽˆπŸΎa
      OP
      @lost a B why do you think I am lying. Senior band is high in LinkedIn and has people from 2 to 15 years of work exp. if you are from a different company and join LinkedIn getting staff is not very easy unless you are from g or f
      Dec 9, 2018