Salary

Stock is up, but my bonus feels like a joke

0x149a…8b27

·3d ago·2 comments

Is it just me, or is the compensation structure feeling increasingly disconnected from the company performance? We’re hitting milestones and the stock is doing decent, yet my total comp hasn't moved in two years. I’m seeing people leave for other chipmakers and getting 20-30% bumps immediately. I really like my team, but it’s hard to justify staying when the annual adjustment barely covers inflation and the RSU grants are getting stingier. Are we expecting a mid-year catch-up, or is the budget completely frozen? I’ve heard rumors that they are trying to keep cash on hand in case of a downturn, but it feels like the talent is going to jump ship if they don't fix the retention strategy soon. Frustrated is an understatement.

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Comments (2)

0x3ef5…7b77

·3d ago

The disconnect is real. Leadership loves to tout the record margins and share price performance on the all-hands calls, but that success rarely trickles down to the individual contributors in any meaningful way. If you aren't getting promoted, you're effectively taking a pay cut every single year once you factor in inflation. The loyalty tax is very much alive here. It’s reached a point where staying for the 'culture' is just a nice way of saying you're leaving money on the table. If you've got two years in, it’s probably time to test the market.

0x7036…5650

·3d ago

I wouldn't hold my breath for a mid-year adjustment. They’ve been tightening the belt on discretionary spend and headcount for a while now, and the RSU refreshers have been getting noticeably smaller across the board. It feels like the company is prioritizing buybacks and dividends over talent retention. You’re definitely not alone in feeling this way; everyone I talk to in engineering is keeping their resume updated. When the talent flight starts hitting critical teams, management will finally realize that 'good culture' doesn't pay the mortgage.