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Can I Negotiate An Offer?

I have been working at a startup for over a year and am the only Senior SE here. We are a 10 person team being acquired by a FAANG company.

They are going to hand us offers soon, and I am wondering if I should try to negotiate. They have been really good to us during this process and I don't want to step on anyones toes. I do not take this opportunity lightly, as it will be more money than I could ever dream compared to what my local area can offer. The job will also be fully remote + shared office space.

However, it appears that they will be offering me 30 to 40k lower base salary than the crowdsourced data I see on levels.fyi. I was wondering if I should try to negotiate at all? Or is that dumb in this situation. They have been soooo charismatic and I will 100% get a better offer compared to my current one. I am conflicted.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you handle it? Do these companies usually allow slight negotiation of offers provided on acquisition? What do you think I should do?

  1. 1

    Just wanted to follow up... @rab @rlfrahm

    I tried negotiating and was shot down multiple times. They said there was NO room to negotiate in the 10 minute meeting they setup. Ended up being them walking me through the offer. I signed it because it was good, but not even close on the position my boss sees me in. Seems a bit crazy considering they might be apart of FAANG. #anonymous #butNotReally

    We are being acquired.. so there is that difference. I'll leave this post here for future acquire-hire employees.

    Good luck.

    1. 1

      Thanks for the update. It sounds bitter sweet but ultimately you are in a better place financially than before so good. Also possibility of negotiating future pay rises over time of course. Hope things work out for you.

    2. 1

      That's great if you're happy with that and can continue to work in that environment.

  2. 1

    100% negotiate. They have the money. If you're feeling short changed it will bite you later.

    1. 1

      I fear that I lack the confidence to actually ask for more. Any tips/suggestions?

  3. 1

    You should negotiate any job offer you receive. It builds respect from your future employer to you and builds confidence in yourself.

    1. 1

      Do you have any tips on how I can do so without sounding greedy? I am a very competent employee, but I am not sure how to portray that without sounding overly boastful...

      1. 1

        Sure, when they send you an offer from the new company you respond back with new terms which are based on your research and "pitch" to said company. For example, if they send you an offer via email, you can just reply to the email with your new terms and why it's a good deal for them. It's not being greedy, it's having self respect for yourself and knowing your value. Price is just a made up number between two parties.

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