> I understand that it’s hard to compare non-salary compensation. But these figures give the impression that compensation for a Bay Area software engineer is shockingly lower than the reality. RSUs and bonuses at established companies will easily double your take home pay.
I agree with your overall message, but base salary itself is very important. That's what puts a roof over your family's head and food on the table. Bonuses and RSUs might accelerate retirement, but I wouldn't put them into the overall household budget.
I would go even further. Too often devs overvalue RSUs / options, etc. Such things are great - but even at Apple, the return on RSUs is going to level off or become less reliable.
RSU / options are lottery tickets not a reliable income stream.
RSUs and options are very different. RSUs are shares that the company gives to you, and for a public company you can sell them almost immediately to convert them to real cash. Their value fluctuates as does the company’s stock, but it is still real income. The rational thing to do is usually to sell all or most of the shares as soon as they vest and not to gamble on future returns.
Options at startups are basically worth nothing, unless/until the company becomes a breakout success. Even then you generally can’t sell them unless there is an IPO or you do a second market deal. These really are a lot like a lottery ticket.
I won’t get into all the ways options can be worthless even if the company does well enough to IPO, and you actually managed to exercise / keep the shares you vested.
Also, some later stage non-public startups issue RSUs instead of options. These too are closer to a lottery ticket.
Once they're vested and settled, I agree. But because they must vest and settle, and can be awarded (or not) on discretionary grounds, they're closer to found money than they are salary in my budget. IMHO, it's bad personal finance to put yourself in a position where a missed bonus or stock event can screw up your daily finances.
I agree with your overall message, but base salary itself is very important. That's what puts a roof over your family's head and food on the table. Bonuses and RSUs might accelerate retirement, but I wouldn't put them into the overall household budget.