
I'm getting a bad deal at my startup - how do I renegotiate my salary and options? - notagreatdeal

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jaggederest
Try just asking.

Present yourself in a reasonable light, have coffee with one of the people in
charge, and just mention that you feel you're getting something of a raw deal
on equity. If they're decent, they'll fix it, and if not, you don't want to be
there anyway.

~~~
prakster
jaggederest is right. Sometimes we get too bogged down with planning,
researching, positioning, etc. Just have an open discussion. This will save
you a lot of time and will get you to a happier state of mind.

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notagreatdeal
More details:

engineer number 6, employee number 8. joined pre-series A

salary: 75K, .5% of the company, location: bay area

engineers 1-5 have lower salary, but 3-10% of company

recent (useless, IMO) VP hires are making six figures with a larger % of the
company. they joined after raising series A.

~~~
lindsayrgwatt
Two thoughts for you: 1) What do you want - and more importantly: why do you
deserve it? If you can't justify why you deserve more than a VP like that,
then you can't justify it (Most powerful words in a negotiation are "where is
that number coming from?")

2) What is your BATNA? That's jargon for "Best Alternative for a Negotiated
Agreement": if you don't get what you want what will you do? Will you walk
away? Is your company f!cked if you walk away?

Hopefully this can frame your thinking.

------
dhoward
Realistically, you probably can't.

If you go to the founders and threaten, they'll probably fire you. They got
funding now so you're replaceable with somebody who will accept post-funding
equity.

If you go to the founders and beg, they'll probably talk you out of it. They
won't increase your compensation unless they see an increase in value.

If you go to the founders and say, "Tell me what I can do to really help the
company" and then work like a dog to become an out-and-out performer, they may
(repeat, may) appreciate your outperformance of the rest of the team and want
to give you a big equity boost. It's hard to hate a total coding monster and
you have to be a bad person to want to cheat somebody who will kamikaze
himself for your company. Still, you have to do that for several years and
really become the guy that they say, "If we only had three more guys exactly
like him!" And, in the end, expect it to take years to build up a decent
equity position and realize that they don't _have_ to give you anything. And,
of course, you've got to be a total coding monster.

~~~
Goladus
I realize this doesn't quite apply to your post, but I'd just like to point
out that the "hard to hate a kamikaze" mentality doesn't always apply in a
corporate environment. The people you'd be negotiating with may be too
preoccupied with political maneuvering to even notice.

Just a warning to anyone who might take that logic and apply it somewhere
other than a startup.

~~~
create_account
In fact, it's downright dangerous: if you want to get taken for granted by
your corporate overlords, that's the way to do it!

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dpapathanasiou
This might be of interest to you: <http://www.negotiations.com/articles/geeks-
earning-more/>

It's geared more towards working at an established company, but many of the
principles are the same.

------
wehriam
Go in with leverage and be ready to walk. By telling the employer you're
unhappy with the compensation, you force their hand.

If they choose or are unable to increase your salary or equity, they will
(correctly) assume you are not satisfied and likely will not meet your full
potential. While there may be no immediate consequences, this will have long
term effects on your relationship with the company.

That said, fortune favors the bold! The thread has some fine advice, good
luck.

