Reddit Experience · 2026 Q1 · Remote

Hop to F500 or stay?

Eng Manager Onsite Senior
3 upvotes 9 replies

Interview Experience

**Context:** Currently a SWE with 1.5 YOE at a smaller tech company. Got hired there after graduation (interned there), as it was very friendly and welcoming place with plenty of growth opportunities

Full Details

**Context:** Currently a SWE with 1.5 YOE at a smaller tech company. Got hired there after graduation (interned there), as it was very friendly and welcoming place with plenty of growth opportunities due to its size. The base was OK and bonus was promising. However, over the last 1 year, the company has been struggling financially and management switched. Despite getting "exceed expectations", I didn't get any raises and the bonus was 1/3 of what it should've been. The new management is from toxic consulting and rainforest companies so it sucks. Micromanagement, lack of direction and constant pressure from above has been hitting my team with no end in sight. One senior team member of team already departed the company in the last few months. Others seem to be going the route of quiet quitting and doing bare minimum to not get fired. **Options:** As a result, I’ve been passively interviewing over the past few months. No luck with even getting a FAANG interview invite but have 2 F500 offers currently on the table. 1) F500 - Company A * Hybrid * Base: 115k * Bonus: 10% * RSU: $40k / 4 years ($10k / year) * Sign-on: $15k * **TC:** \~$152k year 1, \~$137k year 2+ 2) F500 - Company B * On-site, 2 year rotational (SWE / DS / Analytics exposure) * Base: 100k * Bonus: 10% * **TC:** $110k * TC after 2 years (next level, according to Levels FYI): \~$120k 3) Current Company * Hybrid * Base: $105k * Bonus: 15% promised, in reality 5% * Paper equity ($0) * TC: \~$110k **What I’m trying to decide:** * Take Company A and lock in higher TC + more stability * Take the rotational program for broader exposure early in career * Or keep interviewing for something higher-paying / fully remote (e.g., \~$200k+ TC)
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