[obstinate]

No Google engineer is paying sixty percent of their salary for a rented room of any quality in the Bay Area. I don't know whether you're vastly overestimating the cost of a room, or underestimating Googler salaries, but one way or another, you've got it twisted.

[closeparen]

By "Google/Facebook millionaire hopeful" I'm referring to founders/early employees that are trying to build a company with Google or Facebook's level of financial success and get rich on equity.

Google pays enough to get your own apartment on less than 50%, sure, but I don't think Google is making people millionaires anymore, except the slow way (401k savings).

[user5994461]

Facebook/Google made lots of people millionaire with their share grants. I'm not talking about the IPO from 10 years ago, but the regular stock grants they give on top of salaries.

Over a few years, the big company compensation package is over 1 million. (It helps that the valuation has been rising steadily forever).