That $370K offer is really $270K a year: how to value and negotiate tech comp
aakashgupta · x · 2026-10-30
Aakash Gupta breaks down a Senior PM offer from Series C startup Brightline to show why the quoted comp misleads:
The package: $200K base + $40K sign-on + $30K target bonus + $400K RSUs vesting over 4 years = $370K on paper for year one.
But it's really $270K/year: if you stay 2 years, the sign-on dilutes to $20K/year; private stock needs discounting — valuing $400K as quoted × 40% payout odds ÷ 1.15^5 years to liquidity yields $80K, or $20K/year once vested.
Negotiation strategy: don't counter against the wrong $370K number. Staying 2–3 years? Push on sign-on and front-loaded vesting. Staying 4+ years? Push on base and equity, which compound while the sign-on becomes a rounding error.
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