boren_ave11

IP law is badly broken, and as it happens, those who are most disparately impacted by its flaws (startups, individuals) are also the least well equipped to fix it. Nothing will change without pain being felt by those who are capable of influence.

Comment · 10 years ago

I disagree, I think it is useful.

You are correct that this is nothing close to scientific, but that is not the goal. The goal is to increase transparency around employee compensation in order to correct the imbalance of power in salary negotiations that results from not knowing what others in similar roles are being paid.

For this, statistically valid data is not necessary. It can be enough to know of one or two individuals' compensation to shift power in a salary negotiation.

Comment · 10 years ago

No, he's right, you just misread.

He is saying that Amazon's RSU vest schedule sucks compared to the standard used by Google and others. His income level has nothing to do with anything about that.

Comment · 10 years ago

Do you have a cite for that?

Comment · 10 years ago

The OP is being kind of cagey about what their role is.

You're right, I am.

Comment · 10 years ago

The stock is initially granted in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). RSUs vest according to a schedule. It looks roughly like this:

5% the first year

15% the second year

20% every six months thereafter

Compensation at Amazon typically is a combination of a base salary, a signing bonus (distributed over time), and a stock grant. The package is structured in such a way that the employee's total pay stays consistent over time, even though the pay comes in different forms. New hires will have their signing bonus structured over the first two years, and then it ends. At that point, the more significant stock vests begin to occur at six month intervals, so the total pay amount stays relatively the same after the bonus ends.

Comment · 10 years ago

This is what I was told, but others ITT seem to have heard differently. In the examples that you know of, was the person relocating to Seattle or somewhere else, like SF?

It may be that what I was told was correct, but they were referring only to Seattle and not places like SF where cost of living is very high.

Comment · 10 years ago

If your reaction to this thread is "wow I am really underpaid" then it's working. The playing field for your next salary negotiation is now a little more level.

Comment · 10 years ago

Perhaps they do for SF, given how high cost of living is there. I was told that cost of living increases are not offered, but maybe they were only referring to Seattle?

Comment · 10 years ago

>>You get stock annually?

At my annual review last year I received more stock along with a pay increase. So, thus far, yes.

>>But—adding X market value for equity vesting over Y years with 40% capital gains tax for the first 12 months of holding it leads to a 2016 pay of.... just your salary.

Can you elaborate on this? I'm not following.

>>Oh, and you get equity every else in addition to that nice pay, and they don't strap your pager to your face.

What do you suggest I do?

Comment · 10 years ago

No. I am also not deducting taxes from the part of my salary that comes in the form of base pay.

Comment · 10 years ago

>>Only on HN are these incredible compensation packages considered "underpaid".

"Underpaid" and "overpaid" are relative terms. If you currently earn less than what you can expect to receive elsewhere for the same work, you are underpaid.

>>In the real world (outside FaceGoogAmaWallstreet), the story for developers is quite different.

Interestingly enough, this is precisely the sort of thing that this very thread is attempting to challenge. Have you noticed how many "wow I am seriously underpaid" comments have been posted?

All of this reminds me of a quote by Michael Corleone in The Godfather:

Never be embarrassed by your wealth. This recent contempt for money is still another trick of the rich to keep the poor without it.