To be clear, I explicitly chose to not interview at FAANGs since I was previously at a FAANG and wanted to try my hand at a different type of company. I'd probably practice a bit more for FAANGs
Is the comp comparable to FAANG or is it a big step down? (At least in terms of liquid compensation)
This is partially why I haven't been interviewing. All the big p(l)ayers have slowed down their hiring so much - why bother taking a role that pays less than half.
Not OP. But I would say that from my experience (I've avoided FAANG for culture reasons, not interviewing reasons) and I can get comparable offers to my FAANG friends at least in terms of Salary & Benefits. The big difference is bonuses, specifically stock bonuses.
So a lot of the crazy salaries you see people brag about are often taking stock programs into account. And because tech stock has been generally hockey stick growth, then the TC (total compensation) is too.
But aside from the stock, you can get good salaries and benefits at lots of non-FAANG companies. I actually have better insurance than my brother-in-law does at his FAANG job, which is already considered very good. In fact its the best insurance i've ever had in my life.
It varied, but I would say most places I looked at were comparable (or higher). there were a few places with lower comp that I was OK with (startups, or nonprofits).
What kind of places? Startups just don't pay the same amount. I'm not getting offers for $400k+ liquid from startups and most old corps, ever. Maybe you find one that pays half and that's about it.
This is partially why I haven't been interviewing. All the big p(l)ayers have slowed down their hiring so much - why bother taking a role that pays less than half.