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Old 04-18-2017, 01:04 PM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,570,974 times
Reputation: 2880

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walch1007 View Post
That shows such a lack of understanding of how the compensation structure is designed to work.

Amazon backloads RSUs because you receive a signing bonus spread out over your first 2 years. The RSUs kick in as the signing bonus fades, keeping your annual compensation fairly consistent with a slight increase each year. People whine about it only because their Amazon stock has shot up 3-400%, making it hard to leave with so much cash in their 3rd and 4th years. However, when the employee signed the offer letter, Amazon never planned for the shares to increase that much in value nor should any employee bank on it.

The situation now isn't even close to turn of the century. Yes, there are the ubers out there that are hemorrhaging money, but the biggest tech employers in the region all make money unlike the 2000s when even ideas without business plans were being funded.

SV is in a much more dangerous territory. There really isn't enough venture capital activity here to attract the early early stage companies that would cause a huge bubble.

That's BS, and you know it. The signing bonus is spread out over time, too - and if you leave before that time frame, you have to pay it back, as well. IIRC, the signing and relo bonuses are 2 year "vests". When the average Amazonian only makes it something like 18 months...do that math. It's a shell game Amazon plays, and everybody knows it.

Your commentary about "well, tech is making money now" holds true on its face, but the problem is "how much money"? They're not making anywhere near what their valuations indicate, and most of them have trimmed all the fat they possibly can - all that's left is muscle and bone. Yes, we've got wild success stories like Amazon who just sort of fell into cloud domination (a once in a generation lottery hit), but for every Amazon, I can list 10 other companies that are basically zombies and don't know it yet. The original dot-com bust was on the backs of companies with no products but ideas. The current bubble is based upon companies that can cobble together something that remotely resembles a product, and their ultimate end game is just trying to get bought out before people realize they can't finish it. And all of this completely ignores the fact that we're within 10 years of automation having the capability of taking over a large percentage of tech worker functions (and if you don't believe that's possible, I suggest you take a good long look at Watson and Deep Mind).

Last edited by Xanathos; 04-18-2017 at 01:12 PM..
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Old 04-18-2017, 02:14 PM
 
365 posts, read 256,721 times
Reputation: 882
Seattle is one of the cities where many people who provide essential services to it, can not longer afford to live in or even near it. I don't mean restaurant servers, gardeners, baristas, and store clerks. I mean people like teachers, policemen, small business managers, plumbers, etc.

At some point that morning lattè and bagel are going to have to get a lot more costly. Or a machine will replace your friendly barista.

Me? I am 'safe' for now as my old mortgage is low. But, taxes are also going up and up and up. Current leaders have yet to meat a tax that they don't like. (Income tax is not allowed but they want to change that.) Seattle has had 7 tax increases in the last few years. The latest mass transit tax has added a lot to car tabs and property tax and sales tax. At some point I will bail.

OTOH, Real Estate can only go up, up and UP! Until it comes down.
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Old 04-19-2017, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Arizona
3,148 posts, read 2,709,098 times
Reputation: 6060
@ Xanathos-

You spoke of selling your house in July. Where do you plan to escape to that has a good job market with low housing costs? Are you opting to keep your current job (assuming you work and live in Seattle) and commute? Are you retiring to an inexpensive location while taking your own money with you?

I hear the sentiment about the housing situation but am not sure what a workable alternative really looks like.
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Old 04-19-2017, 02:36 PM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,570,974 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy64 View Post
@ Xanathos-

You spoke of selling your house in July. Where do you plan to escape to that has a good job market with low housing costs? Are you opting to keep your current job (assuming you work and live in Seattle) and commute? Are you retiring to an inexpensive location while taking your own money with you?

I hear the sentiment about the housing situation but am not sure what a workable alternative really looks like.
I'm making a lateral cost of living change - Marina Del Rey, California. A location that would have been financially impossible just a few short years ago but, thanks to the ridiculous housing market explosion and how Seattle has become roughly equivalent in cost of living to the LA area, I'll be able to sell our home in Mercer Island and put the profits from it towards making the MDR house affordable. Keeping job w/ same company, just at their Silicon Beach office.
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Old 04-20-2017, 09:10 PM
 
1,348 posts, read 697,584 times
Reputation: 1670
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos View Post
I'm making a lateral cost of living change - Marina Del Rey, California. A location that would have been financially impossible just a few short years ago but, thanks to the ridiculous housing market explosion and how Seattle has become roughly equivalent in cost of living to the LA area, I'll be able to sell our home in Mercer Island and put the profits from it towards making the MDR house affordable. Keeping job w/ same company, just at their Silicon Beach office.
and much better weather by far
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Old 04-20-2017, 09:53 PM
 
905 posts, read 1,095,681 times
Reputation: 1186
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos View Post
I'm making a lateral cost of living change - Marina Del Rey, California. A location that would have been financially impossible just a few short years ago but, thanks to the ridiculous housing market explosion and how Seattle has become roughly equivalent in cost of living to the LA area, I'll be able to sell our home in Mercer Island and put the profits from it towards making the MDR house affordable. Keeping job w/ same company, just at their Silicon Beach office.
Strongly considering a similar move next year. Seems like Seattle COL has now surpassed (if just barely) San Diego, and as you say, is creeping into LA territory.

The overcast discount is definitely long gone, that's for sure.
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Old 04-20-2017, 10:39 PM
 
235 posts, read 268,043 times
Reputation: 407
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanathos View Post
I'm making a lateral cost of living change - Marina Del Rey, California. A location that would have been financially impossible just a few short years ago but, thanks to the ridiculous housing market explosion and how Seattle has become roughly equivalent in cost of living to the LA area, I'll be able to sell our home in Mercer Island and put the profits from it towards making the MDR house affordable. Keeping job w/ same company, just at their Silicon Beach office.
On the positive side, you'll only be 20-40 minutes away from Santa Monica, which is one of the few areas around there that doesn't depress me.
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