What It Took To Become An $800,000 Engineer

Over 4.5 years at Meta (Facebook), my total compensation doubled from $400,000 to $800,000. This video breaks down exactly how that happened, along with the outcome of every performance review.
There's a lot that I ended up cutting from this video to keep it a reasonable length. Join me for a live session where I'll share more details and take questions: www.jointaro.com/event/how-ra...
➤ Compensation terminology: • This Is Why FAANG Engi...
➤ How Meta conducts performance reviews: www.promotions.fyi/company/me...
➤ The story behind the tool I built which led to the promotion + Additional Equity (AE): www.jointaro.com/lesson/qvp2q...
☀️ Accelerate your career growth: joinTaro.com
📱 Get your AI career coach on iOS: apps.apple.com/us/app/tcg-lea...
📱 Get your AI career coach on Android: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
💌 Learn how companies evaluate and promote: www.promotions.fyi
➤ Connect with Alex: / alexander-chiou
Hi! I’m Rahul, a software engineer and founder with a passion for teaching.
📹 KZbin: / rahulpandeyrkp
📝 LinkedIn: / rpandey1234
🐦 Twitter: / rpandey1234
📸 Instagram: / rpandey1234
📂 Github: github.com/rpandey1234/

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I ended up cutting a lot from this video to keep it a reasonable length. Join me for a live session where I'll share more details and take questions: www.jointaro.com/event/how-rahuls-compensation-went-from-dollar400k-to-dollar800k-at-meta/

[@i_youtube_]

We need success stories from Netflix engineers?

[@ZaidAhmad-rp1ro]

​@@i_youtube_ThePrimeTime on YT

[@zesanurrahman6778]

epic

[@FilmsByjoshh]

how old are you if you don't mind me asking?

[@digital42082]

How many hours were you working on average per day at Meta

[@NeetCode]

This was really insightful! Thanks for being so transparent Rahul

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Thanks Navi!

[@Speekies]

Legend.

[@loveanimals-0197]

LOL. This guy was working at something called the Meta Portal team, which is now defunct. And he got laid off in Jan 2022. This is one way to spin what happened to you when you're not even at Meta anymore. 😂 Do people actually fall for idiots like this starting their own "career development" company.

[@the_god_killah]

@@loveanimals-0197source?

[@angelazhang3393]

Why does it matter if he's not at Meta anymore? That's tremendous achievement in the 5 years he did work there. Your accomplishments don't disappear regardless of what happens in the future. (Unless you're dishonest like Theranos.)

[@emmanuelkofyagyapong6382]

It's the best video out there, man. I remember you saying that a staff engineer is not evaluated by IQ but by work done and willingness to learn. It stricks me to these days.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Hoping the transparency can be helpful!

[@DroolRockworm]

“Stricks” you yeah sure this one’s going far

[@emmanuelkofyagyapong6382]

@@DroolRockworm **strikes me**. Apology.

[@muneebzubair5069]

Summary/Notes: 1. You need continuity to get to very senior levels 2. You don't need to be a genius to grow your career 3. Understand how equity works. Equity can give 3x more income than salary 🎉cool❤ transparency. Learnt alot. Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰 🇮🇳 🇺🇸

[@tamasbalint1597]

Thank you Rahul for this insightful video of yours. Truly the best I have watched about compensation. What I loved the most is how you still focused on career growth instead of "just" sharing the numbers. This is what we can all learn from. Looking forward to your live session.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Really appreciate that Tamas! Glad to have you in Taro Premium :)

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

There's a lot that I ended up cutting from this video to keep it a reasonable length. Join me for a live session where I'll share more details and take questions: www.jointaro.com/event/how-rahuls-compensation-went-from-dollar400k-to-dollar800k-at-meta/

[@YouTryDie]

00:00 📊 Breakdown of compensation over years, reaching $800k TC. 00:28 💼 Video covers initial offer, performance reviews, and analysis. 02:06 🏢 Explanation of Facebook's performance evaluation and bonus structure. 03:14 🔍 Struggles adapting to Facebook culture, imposter syndrome. 05:18 🚀 First greatly exceeds expectation rating, equity refresh, and bonus. 07:10 🔝 Promotion to staff engineer, significant salary increase and equity grant. 08:05 📈 Compensation graph, reaching $800k TC. 08:21 🛤 Continuity important for growth; avoid excessive leetcode. 09:01 🧠 Growth doesn't require genius; grit, learning, and impact matter. 09:55 💰 Equity's role in wealth creation; understanding Equity terminology.

[@Legnid]

Best comment

[@ItsMeIshir]

Thank you for making this video and sharing the key takeaways. Truly amazing to see the career growth.

[@janailtongoncalvesdesouza4160]

I think the most important part is: be happy for where you are. When you do that, you'll put the work and effort necessary to grow on that company and as a professional as well. Nice video! Congrats for your career!

[@cody_codes_youtube]

I love the transparency! These videos are very insightful, and I plan on making more as well. NEVER got to this level though! 😹

[@Meadejones]

You worked at a company that rewarded your efforts. If a boss gives employees more work and the employee accepts, 99% just means more work and no pay. If you have the ability to get bonuses/pay increases/stock every quarter then you are in such a rare situation. People say "no" since we know there is no increase on any compensation.

[@goochipoochie]

Yeah exactly None of these tips works for any company other than the absolute best ones

[@Dremekeks]

Invaluable information, with excellent delivery and execution. Subscribed. Thank you!

[@user-hh8hx2xq9r]

This video was completely life-changing. Thank you so much!

[@lemonadeintech]

This is a great video! So much value man.

[@gabrielfono844]

This is so amazing Thanks such amazing transparency

[@karanbhatia2834]

This video is a gold mine of information for software engineers ❤

[@yexiang5977]

Thank you for the quality content and wish you all the best !

[@Neonb88]

What a boss, definitely looking out for more content from you

[@natedavidoff668]

Good on you man. I am surprised every time I hear someone successfully navigate the office politics of a company.

[@vidhi_bhatt]

Such a succint and insightful video. Thanks for sharing your journey Rahul!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I'm glad it's helpful!

[@tungvuthanh5537]

This video is a bomb. thank you Rahul for the extremely detailed analysis

[@faganyusifli9039]

Thanks for the honest and insightful content!

[@mfiaz7719]

Rahul, You’re an inspiration. Thanks for in depth transparency. I’ve never seen someone to be this transparent, especially someone from South Asian community

[@urbaneindiana3089]

It's not South Asia - its the Indian subcontinent

[@CrackDataScience]

something bad = INDIAN something good = south asian. lol typical paxtani

[@thedarkknight8225]

​@@urbaneindiana3089what is the geographical difference

[@rv38413]

You should also speak about managing equity vests and implication of holding equity in your company vs diversification 😊

[@SurajKumar-vi3ll]

you and Alex put 1.5 months of effort for creating this video up! Worth it.

[@neilchen1494]

Thanks Rahul for the great video, this is so informational and inspiring!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Thanks Neil!

[@melvin6228]

The US FAANG salaries are so insane. I’m sure a staff engineer in London wouldn’t make the same amount

[@MikhailFederov]

London isn't a real place like the US.

[@brandonalfaro42]

Huh?

[@shachede6828]

Fam even in US faang he is on the upper end. Also how many top talent rate skill staff engineers are in London? It’s demand and supply. And he is meeting expectations

[@ocelotl4655]

Cause MERICAAA fk yeahhh 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲😎😂

[@alex-shanghai]

800k is at the very high end of staff eng pay range. I know many staff get paid at around 500-600k. And btw not all us office has the same pay. That guy is likely in the MPK office. 😅

[@divyangvaidya9675]

So transparent. No arrogance even though he has a lot to be arrogant about. Good video. Could you also discuss resume and interview tips?

[@michaellemmen]

He has nothing to be arrogant about

[@divyangvaidya9675]

@@michaellemmenHe does so. $800,000 salary is no joke.

[@lycan2494]

@@michaellemmen he has a A LOT to be arrogant about. 800k is insane

[@ClarkPotter]

​​@@michaellemmenIf he's receiving $800k in comp, he's likely bringing in on the order of $2.4M for Meta. If providing $2+M PER YEAR in value isn't something worthy of being arrogant about, if you so chose, idk what is.

[@TheLuminousOne]

What are you talking about; there's no place for arrogance in our society. Those who have it should grow up, it looks unsightly and weak.

[@MichaelShao]

i think #2 of the "takeaways" can be aptly summarized as having a "growth mindset". Great video.

[@Bombstark]

Thank you for making this video!

[@spencjon4822]

Understanding what a performance review entails is super important. I've gotten screwed by a manager because I didn't track enough of my impact over the year and that shunted me down a level. Keep track of everything you do in a separate doc. It saved me from my managers's 'idea' of how I was doing and forced them to give me a higher rating because my manager had a Blindspot to all the work I do. Be proactive in your performance reviews, spend the mind numbing time to write the doc well. Most importantly, track your impact with proof.

[@muhannadobeidat]

Thanks for sharing all of this. Rarely anyone does that.

[@sidb596]

Really insightful, thank you!

[@s4ltokyo]

Very valuable video, thanks for all the useful content you've been putting out

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Glad to hear it!

[@mikekeenanphd]

As a shareholder, I find this compensation appalling. As an engineer, I find it aspirational!

[@alex-shanghai]

Great video. Very inspiring! 👍

[@kedarpandya1229]

Great video brother.

[@_BestViralClips_]

Hey Rahul, I loved the video! I think it would be really cool to for you to make a video about where you came from and your background in CS. Possibly showing how you would do your education differently or maybe you wouldn't at all. I think it could be a cool video to see your insights about CS! Thanks!

[@imheretosleep]

*Remember guys, no matter how hard you try part of your success is “luck”. So don’t even bother thinking you can follow someone’s step and expects to be in the same position. Also, the environment is a major factor as well.*

[@acecala3576]

Thanks for making such videos! It really does help. I have been working in tech in companies which don't provide RSU's and hence my salary has always been low. In tech for almost 14 years and I know I have lost lot of money while staying at these companies. I am a Sr. engineer with pay less than $200K and residing in California. Your explanation helps a lot. I always hated prepping for LC and would love to do some real work, but unfortunately LC is the only way to get into these big techs.

[@timerwentoff]

Thanks for your insights, especially about not job hopping (for compensation) every 2 years.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

This is one of the biggest barriers holding back engineers. Classic short-term vs long-term optimization.

[@ayivugwekabemba]

Thank you so much for this video

[@mansourazimi6650]

thank you Rahul love you thanks for share your valuable experience. really good video i wish one day i become like you 💗

[@Steven-zp8hf]

Man those are some senior executive level figures here in Australia. Well done

[@VijayKumar-dn4pz]

bohot badhiya Pandey ji! Shabaash! Lage raho!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

thank you 🙏

[@mnchester]

Excellent video as always Rahul! Can you please do videos on growth stories from Google (L5 to L6 if possible)? Promotion is notoriously hard there. Thanks!

[@nunofigueira8691]

Thank you ver much to be very honest in this video. My respect to you.

[@miztamacondatrack]

I got a $250 bonus at Walmart during my performance review

[@Pherecydes]

You got more offers in your job search prior to Meta than I've gotten in my entire career.

[@jonassteinberg3779]

My man throwing down the paystubs. Boss right there.

[@JacobAuthier]

Thanks for the story!! :) Great job for you. Trying to hit SDE2 at Amazon, hopefully will be there soon!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Best of luck with the Amazon promo! I've been learning a lot about Amazon performance reviews recently and it seem intense (so many peer reviews).

[@doublegdog]

Yes I just hit SDE 2. The process is nuts and so thorougg!

[@ReallyDru]

I’m tryna hit L5 rn hopefully before my 2 year mark 🤞🏽🤞🏽 I finally got a project wit L5 scope

[@ritzenhauf]

I think you had an effective manager, to understand and achieve performance expectations

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I had 4 managers throughout my time at Meta, which is actually a lot less than most people I knew. Overall I was lucky with my bosses.

[@stephaniewang5810]

It will be very interesting and helpful if you can have a video talk about how your manager in FB rates your performance.

[@kenjimiwa3739]

One thing you mention at 8:45 is that people waste time doing leetcode. You may have already been strong in this area from your CS background and abilities. Many people struggle with algorithms/data structures bc they don't use this skill too often on the job and therefore need to brush up before interviewing. This is not to say *only* do leetcode but it's typically a weak point for many and used on the interviewer side to fail candidates. Also thank you for sharing such honest and detailed information!

[@StarBoy-fc2bz]

Amazing Video!

[@Vlamm]

Great video, very enlighting indeed. What I find most interesting is that Meta seems to have a very clear framework for assessing performance and assigning rewards. I feel a lot of companies don’t really have this in place which causes ambiguity come performance review time. Question : can you recommend resources to plan career path at a data engineer (rather than SE) - also would be interesting to have your thoughts on the UK / Europe markets too.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

A lot of the advice we give to Software Engineers will apply directly to Data Engineers (we have a bunch of DEs in Taro). I'd recommend building relationships with the type of engineer you want to become, and figure out what kinds of opportunities and options are available in that domain.

[@fyfoh]

Well done. I have to run my own tech startup to get this kind of compensation. Getting this kind of compensation is very difficult if you don't work for a company that hands out equity very generously.

[@user-bn9xy2on8i]

You bet he worked his ass off (He mentioned pulling extra hours over the first 6 months) and he obviously is a genius in his job. But the gist of it is: Follow your passions and put in the hard work. Make sure you get recognized and rewarded for it and you will be happy.

[@YakoScarlet]

you're amazing thanks this really helps

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

It's the kind of information I wish I had!

[@eudaimonian9473]

Good video but there's been a big regime change over the past 2-3 years so we shouldn't expect equity to continually rise as a rule, especially as the 'blitzscaling' playbook that a lot of tech companies used to grow bears fewer fruit with limited funding and more competition.

[@TheBlackManMythLegend]

I watched Taro... What you are building with Alex it's huge. Bravo. I am not in the ~USA so I am not directly the target for FAang and already 38 senior android dev but great product.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Appreciate that! We have tons of events, e.g. a paper reading group, that hopefully will be interesting even if you're not targeting a FAANG company. We want to be indispensable for *all* engineers :)

[@jishnudesarkar]

You did your bachelor's and master's from Stanford! :D You and I must have a very different understanding of 'not a genius'. Great video though!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

It's very possible to *not* be a genius and go to Stanford!

[@Danuxsy]

a lot of highly educated people are stupid in other ways, like all other homo sapien.

[@user-oo3dy6kv3c]

Thank for your English! Also about information

[@awseommarv]

Seeing some growth stories for engineers at Riot Games, Roblox, or even EA would be cool the hear

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

thanks for the feedback!

[@livostersgaming]

I am a non IT person but i want my future in IT can u suggest me a specific roles i can focus on like data or cloud or cyber

[@bitzplz]

I would love to hear more about compensation at different levels outside of big tech, we always hear about FAANG, and quite frankly, this will not be the reality for most engineers

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I'll talk about this in my talk on Oct 3!

[@takiemtam1]

you are so good, it's just took you a first few months to learn how to work at Facebook, I'm working at a trading company, my salary is just 200k but it took me over 6 months to learn what is happening here

[@untitled6981]

Last years downsizing across tech makes alot more sense now

[@Danuxsy]

last year? it's happening now in 2024 still.

[@mg-ht9ir]

Hey plz reply.. Me im in an company which given me there already existing app which made in javascript to convert in all in kotlin Im just a fresher and I can't figure out is it good for me or not currently I'm performing the best I can but I'm not working on any production level app what should I do find a new job or learn.. Learning from last 3months

[@info781]

Very cool video, it is nice to be rewarded with cash for efforts where you are not a commissioned sales person. Tech companies are so far ahead of every other company.

[@zuowang5185]

what do you think about paper money that might not reach IPO? It also might expire after 7 years? And employer can terminate you right before vesting? For example, Rippling is handing out equity like it's nothing

[@kenjimiwa3739]

Would you say your six offers after Pinterest were mainly due to your leet code performance during interviews?

[@amortalbeing]

fantastic talk. thanks a lot ❤

[@SuboptimalEng]

Everyone dunks on Zuck, but he was very empathetic to Meta's employees in 2020. Good on him. Also, this is the most insightful breakdown on tech salaries I've ever seen, really great video Rahul!

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Meta employees, by and large, were very happy during the pandemic with the company leadership. (Free money does that :P)

[@charan775]

And then he fired so many people in 2023

[@jaintango]

@@charan775 more to do with too much hiring in 2021 when Fed was printing free money and tech stocks were on a tear, many companies made that mistake

[@geekwithabs]

Zuck does try really hard to fit in as a human. Almost makes us feel he is totally and completely human 😉

[@Stoneface_]

​@@charan775well Meta wa struggling financially so sadly many were let go.

[@manilchaudhary007]

@RahulPandey. Do companies in silicon valley hire people from other countries like canada/australia . Who do not have work visa or american university degree ?

[@J90JAM]

$800k is wild, I love it.

[@Domage96]

You say that you put in the extra hours. How many extra hours are you referring to?

[@shantanushekharsjunerft9783]

This was awesome! Thank you! I would also be interested in knowing how many hours you used to put outside of regular office hours and for how long you had to work outside of office hours to come up to speed. Did this change with time, like you didn’t have to put in so many hours. Any pointers on how to be more efficient at this process of learning a new/large code base?

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

How to be efficient in a new/large codebase: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4imhIaLpJhmack Masterclass about this: www.jointaro.com/lesson/iYpRj8XfyzCSaTYnce3y/masterclass-how-to-write-better-code-faster-as-a-software-engineer/

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I probably spent 50-60 hours / week for the first few years, but a lot less in the last year

[@JShaker]

I'm not sure I completely agree with the takeaway that equity is the secret sauce to getting a better comp. If the stocks were all as cash instead, it's virtually the same thing. I think the takeaway is that good perf reviews will lead you to a much higher comp than where you start because there's a compounding effect when you chain high performance review after high performance review.

[@pioneer7777777]

Is the Portal product considered a failure or success in the market for Meta?

[@OKBYE0]

I am a fresher trying campus placements .... The coding interview pressure is very hectic

[@illiaNP14]

Thank you for this helpful video❤, one question: Can a senior full-stack web developer make more than 400k a year?

[@amitgota]

can you let us know something about databricks and it’s salary, structure equity etc.

[@Philson]

Insane how you got those offers. I guess you need to live there for such opportunities.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

certainly helps to live in Silicon Valley, but more importantly you need the network

[@hello_dayana]

i want to hear from software engineers who have worked at startups like airbnb and uber in the early days OR they’re working in a unicorn start up right now

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I know a few people who were early at the tech darlings in the mid-2010s (Airbnb/Uber). But they may not want to share how rich they are :P I'll ask around

[@JohnDavid-il4kp]

HELP ME...For the last 5-6 years, I have had an idea/invention for an app/device that would be a standard addition to EVERY phone... I see the new I-Phone 15 is out and still does not utilize this technology and I am surprised this idea has not been applied... I am a Bartender by trade and have no idea how to get this going...I only have an intellectual property patent on this...I would love to sit down with someone and work out the details...This being a safety feature, I am even willing to get this idea into the right hands, and Rahul you seem like a great place to start...Your thoughts anyone?

[@MichaelMerritt]

When you got the first 6 offers, what were your leetcoding skills at that time? That seems to be the roadblock for me. Take home projects I can relax and complete.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I got pretty good at Leetcode. I got rejected from a few of the earlier companies, but for the most part I was able to meaningful progress on almost all problems I was asked.

[@MichaelMerritt]

@@RahulPandeyrkp Appreciate you following up and for your transparency, thanks!

[@aswinikumar9058]

what about data science do you have any idea regarding that.

[@amitabhstatton3236]

If you can last at Netflix, I'd want to know they increase their base salary to keep up with equity offerings.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Netflix has an interesting compensation philosophy, would love to do a case study of someone there

[@joonwantsdat]

His background...Standford bachelor with Standford Master... this guy is just another level guys.. know your limits

[@Alex-kr7zr]

Gotta be rich to earn some doe.

[@JafacaksWasTaken]

how long is the meta stock locked up for

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

yeah but most engineer we sell our equity and buy index funds with it as soon as it vests. so we're not multi millionoares even if we join uber or airbnb.

[@Hamromerochannel]

With both stock market as well as meta not doing as good, do you think is the pay package still the same with tech industry?

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

yes. In some ways, now is a great time to join a company if you think we'll return to the peaks of 2021 stock prices/valuations

[@pejpm]

Out of interest….do employers like Meta give any guidance on how to manage concentrated position risk? I’m also compensated with RSUs, however it’s much smaller % of overall comp. $800k TC is obviously great overall, but the reality is you have an enormous amount of single stock risk there considering the relatively low base salary.

[@pioneer7777777]

That's a great point, especially considering those Meta shares saw a peak to trough loss of 75% from 2021 to 2022. Add on the fact that he's at the 37% federal rate and 10% California rates, he potentially could have netted far less if he sold his stock positions at the wrong times, in addition to paying in hundreds of thousands in income tax over the years.

[@PelosiStockPortfolio]

You mention "putting in the hours" a few times as a key take away. How many extra hours were you putting in each week?

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

Probably 50-60 hours/week for the first few years

[@aryuhekandhalu717]

Which location was this for? Bay Area?

[@zunnorain-shah]

Can you mention or make a video on the tech stack you used during your time in facebook?

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I used a bunch of languages, at least including Java, Kotlin, Python, JavaScript, C++, Hack, and probably a few others as well :)

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

I talk about learning new tech quickly here: www.linkedin.com/posts/rpandey1234_techcareergrowth-softwareengineering-learncoding-activity-6863289196363292672-deYx/

[@zunnorain-shah]

@@RahulPandeyrkp love you bro! thank you for replying lol. Sure will check out ur link!!

[@Divy91311]

Hey Rahul , really nice video! I was wondering if I could help you edit your videos and also make a highly engaging Thumbnail which will help your video to reach to a wider audience .

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

What improvements would you make?

[@sean658]

I truly can’t even fathom making this amount of money. I would feel the biggest imposter syndrome and that I was expected to at least bring into the company my weight in salary which is a pretty lofty expectation and pressure(at least to those ignorant of these roles & responsibilities). Mad respect to all the people that are able land these coveted gigs.

[@ramsyrama]

Believe in yourself

[@pawelgrad]

Unfortunately in Poland it's very uncommon to earn equity. Usually there is salary and annually bonus.

[@info781]

That is why most of those big companies are in the USA.

[@yingkailee3768]

music makes me feel like i'm watching a movie recap and it somehow fits 😂