> For the privilege of being a member of the cult, you get to take half of your market rate in salary in exchange for equity that will most likely be worthless.
I realized this article was rather silly after reading this sentence.
Yes, if you're working for a super early stage startup, you'll take little or no salary, and bundles of equity. No one goes into a role like that without knowing exactly what they're risking.
In general, though, working for a well-funded startup is not taking "half of your market rate." Even if you're taking half of senior-level Bay Area rates, you're still earning 1.5-2x the rate of developers in the rest of the world.
If you want to avoid the "Silicon Valley cult," don't worry about startups -- worry about thinking that every software developer is worth $250k. They (generally) aren't.
Quick note before I close out this comment: I'm not trying to be pessimistic or cynical, but overvaluation of tech workers isn't something that will continue to exist in the short- to medium-term, in my opinion. I want to get paid well as much as the next guy, but if we're going to talk about a "bubble," tech salaries in the Bay Area are a big part of it.
Yeah, the article is silly. He's dumping on moving to the Bay Area for a tech job, where everyone I know who has done so (including myself) is thriving. And not working 100 hours a week.
I realized this article was rather silly after reading this sentence.
Yes, if you're working for a super early stage startup, you'll take little or no salary, and bundles of equity. No one goes into a role like that without knowing exactly what they're risking.
In general, though, working for a well-funded startup is not taking "half of your market rate." Even if you're taking half of senior-level Bay Area rates, you're still earning 1.5-2x the rate of developers in the rest of the world.
If you want to avoid the "Silicon Valley cult," don't worry about startups -- worry about thinking that every software developer is worth $250k. They (generally) aren't.
Quick note before I close out this comment: I'm not trying to be pessimistic or cynical, but overvaluation of tech workers isn't something that will continue to exist in the short- to medium-term, in my opinion. I want to get paid well as much as the next guy, but if we're going to talk about a "bubble," tech salaries in the Bay Area are a big part of it.