[mailshanx]

>> "... and also make staggeringly high offer"

How high are we talking about? Let's say around ~5 yrs exp dev who would otherwise be considered intermediate level elsewhere spends the equivalent of 3-6 months of full time effort in preparation: what comp can such a candidate expect to negotiate in the big4/5?

[soham]

For that level of experience, and a great interview performance, big-5 easily cross $225k/yr in total comp. Often much more.

[peacemaker]

$225k?? For 5 years experience? Not a chance.

You might get somewhere around $100k though which is still a very nice salary in most places. Up to $150k in major hubs.

[skylark]

225k total comp (salary + bonus + equity) for Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Apple sounds about right. I've personally gotten offers from those companies only slightly less than that with only 2 years of experience under my belt.

If you're curious, hop onto Glassdoor. It's really accurate for the tech giants because of how many datapoints have been submitted.

[closeparen]

There are no "most places" for the companies mentioned above, and certainly no places that aren't major hubs.