Founding engineer pay data from 333 founder posts: $190k median base, 0.5%-1.5% equity

sujingshen · x · 2026-11-05

DMtheFounder analyzed 333 early-stage engineering roles posted directly by founders on its platform (as of Nov 5, 2026, updated monthly).

Salary: median US founding engineer base is $190k, nearly identical to other engineering roles at the same startups ($188k) — the founding title doesn't cost cash; the difference is equity, roughly double
Across 88 roles with USD figures, the overall median is $189k (middle half $161k–$214k)
By stage: pre-seed $168k → seed $195k → Series A $210k
Equity: posts that name a number usually offer 0.5%–1.5%; 101 roles mention equity but only 18 give a percentage
Red flag: 1 in 5 pre-seed roles pays no salary at all, equity only
Method: only founder-written hiring posts (X, HN, own site), taking the midpoint of posted ranges; groups under 20 roles are directional only

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