[Mechanical9]

I think the question is more why should an individual's salary be private?

Personally, I think money is power, and I want to know about power disparities to better protect myself. But I understand there are factors to consider.

[ekianjo]

By all means please tell us your salary in a public hn comment then. Nobody is stopping you

[drchickensalad]

220k base 350k stock

[ekianjo]

Thanks. Which company and What position?

[sokoloff]

Upthread proposer asked "is there any disadvantage[?]" I listed one (or two, if you count "this won't accomplish much because of the equity comp portion").

Philosophically, whether an individual's ought to be private is an interesting but distinct question. This proposal has the disadvantage that it makes disclosures about individual people who might not want that disclosure made and which are not being made today.

[ta1243]

If an individual salary ought to be secret, why does the US insist on advertising the salary of so many people (not even just the salary range either - but the individual name = $xxxxxx)

If a salary shouldn't be secret, why does the US insist on allowing some people to keep their salary secret?

[sokoloff]

Advertising the salary of people paid by the government as a means of accountability to the taxpayers? No problem. If you don't like it, don't live on the taxpayers' payroll.

Advertising the salary of sports figures as a means of enforcing competition-protecting salary caps? No problem.

Advertising the salary of people for which there is no current requirement, for which there is a current practice of non-disclosure, and for which there is no taxpayer accountability benefit? I think that merits discussion rather than a advance conclusion of "a few of us think it's a good idea, so get bent".

[nonethewiser]

> If an individual salary ought to be secret, why does the US insist on advertising the salary of so many people (not even just the salary range either - but the individual name = $xxxxxx)

Where

[ta1243]

https://govsalaries.com/fodness-pamela-a-104653297

for example

[steve1977]

It’s only a disadvantage if you already consider individual disclosure a bad thing.

[grodriguez100]

Why would you be entitled to know my salary, or anything else about me and my life? “I want to know” is obviously not a good enough reason.

[Sakos]

Because that information has benefits for labor as a whole. Conversely, "I want my salary to be a secret" isn't a good reason to keep it private and I don't see any good reason why it nerds to be private. Nobody is asking for what you jack off to, because it isn't relevant for salary negotiations and it's actually something that's reasonably expected to remain private. Nobody is asking about the rest of your life. Why are you so defensive?

[grodriguez100]

I am not “defensive”. I am merely pointing out that you don’t have any right to know any particular details about me, including my salary, no matter how “useful” you consider it to be.

[Sakos]

And you don't have the right to absolute privacy and secrecy just because it's more convenient to you, especially when they're extraneous things like your salary and not your private life. Ridiculous.