[sirsinsalot]

I mean, not really. There are plenty of us making US FAANG salaries outside the US and not at any major tech company.

My sample is myself and all my peers.

Industry is BIG and the demand for smart people with a track record for getting things done is even bigger.

Most years I barely do anything more than basic eng management and my teams build glorified CRUD apps.

I'm paid much more than others in the UK because I'm a sure bet. FAANG not required.

[throwaway2037]

    There are plenty of us making US FAANG salaries outside the US and not at any major tech company.

Can you share some samples? The only ones I can think of are investment banks, but you need to be in the top 5% to be paid as well as FAANG and live in one of the Big Six global banking cities: New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Hongkong, Sydney.

[kyawzazaw]

Amsterdam has trading firms

[ponector]

Had recently a message from LinkedIn: some trading company is hiring to Amsterdam office, offering 85k plus annual bonus up to 40%. Peanuts comparing to NYC offerings.

[throwaway2037]

That is exactly my point!

[throwaway2037]

I guess FAANG-level comp is less than 500 people in the whole city.

[ChuckNorris89]

>making US FAANG salaries outside the US and not at any major tech company

Out of curiosity, what kind of non-FAANG domain are you in that pays soo good in the UK? IB? HFT? ML?

I'm asking since every single UK person on HN complains that UK tech wages are shit yet you claim otherwise.

What makes you the exception or why do you think the others would be wrong?

Thanks in advance.

[sirsinsalot]

Defence/gov £250k base. CRUD apps, nothing fancy, just lots of data.

The salary curve in the UK has a long tail of rubbish pay because that's what people accept. Budgets are often much higher, and supply of skills is low.

You just have to follow the money and negotiate well. Firms with deep pockets don't care if you cost 90k or 300k when the project is in the hundreds of millions and the fallout of failure would cost much more.

The important think is to show you represent 5x less risk for 5x more pay.

[samvher]

How do you show that? A large portfolio of successful projects/many years of experience?

[sirsinsalot]

Yes. Also be good at interviewing. 90% of getting what you want is being liked without appearing like you need to be liked.

[moosedev]

Wondering the same. Maybe they meant "US FAANG salaries" very literally, i.e. just the salary, not the bonus and equity...

If they really mean US FAANG total compensation, my guess is quant trading firms.

[sirsinsalot]

I did mean salary, I'm not sure about total comp because UK firms don't seem to operate similarly for the most part.

[kyawzazaw]

even UK quant firms don't really pay similar to US quant firms unless for the very top roles or firms that have multiple locations

[moosedev]

Do they pay similar to US FAANG, though?

That's the comparison sirsinsalot was making.

[vehementi]

"FAANG" is long outdated for the reasons you say -- I think it's shorthand now for "tech companies that actually pay really well" compared to, say, the public sector, or startups, or small companies that can't afford to, or places that view software development as an unfortunate cost to minimize, etc.

In any case, even in that light, the claim of FAANG or don't be an engineer is absurd. Even if someone doesn't end up with a really well paying job it is still a solid career option "especially in this economy"

[sirsinsalot]

In the UK at least the compensation curve is weird. You can be on a team and be paid more than the senior devs above you.

You just have to play the game right. Excellent developers are rare in the UK in my experience or hiring. Mediocre ones who think they're excellent are everywhere.

[vehementi]

Yeah with the opaqueness of comp, the same thing can happen in north america too. Someone beside you will be getting massively more RSU grants or something because privately management likes them more.

> Mediocre ones who think they're excellent are everywhere.

Absolutely

[ZephyrBlu]

I think you are underestimating FAANG comp. Which non-FAANG companies outside the US pay >$300k USD?

[KerryJones]

I work at a FAANG and took a paycut to get here (from a startup).