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Airbnb will build a new tech hub in Atlanta

(www.protocol.com)
140 points 7d7n | 24 comments | 18 Feb 21 16:23 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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pratik661 ◴[18 Feb 21 17:01 UTC] No.26182359[source]▶
I grew up in metro Atlanta and studied at Georgia Tech. The state government subsidizes college education for grads with a certain GPA (HOPE Scholarship). However, I (and most CS grads I knew) left Atlanta for better paying jobs in NYC/Bay Area/Seattle/Austin. I always wondered why the ATL tech scene was 'underdeveloped' compared to comparable sized cities like Seattle and Austin, despite having major research institutions (Georgia Tech and Emory) to anchor it.

This is what I mean by 'underdeveloped':

- Most software dev job postings (as of May 2018) have SPECIFIC tech stack requirements. This to me is a red flag. Most recruiters in 'developed' tech cities assume that software development skills are transferable and that technology stacks/frameworks/languages can be learned.

- The salaries offered were still very low compared to comparable COL locations like Austin

- No major FAANG presence to put upward pressure on local developer wages

replies(14): >>26182424 #>>26182453 #>>26182607 #>>26182952 #>>26183122 #>>26183172 #>>26183431 #>>26185995 #>>26186002 #>>26186101 #>>26186104 #>>26186504 #>>26188019 #>>26188376 #
1. rjbwork ◴[18 Feb 21 17:05 UTC] No.26182424[source]▶
Just out of curiosity, as an Atlanta based dev, what kinds of salaries are common in Austin at various levels?
replies(3): >>26182458 #>>26182459 #>>26186883 #
2. pratik661 ◴[18 Feb 21 17:08 UTC] No.26182458[source]▶
I hope I don't open a major can of worms by my parent comment. This is based on a sample of my own personal experience of 1 Austin interview and LOTs of Atlanta interviews. As a SDE with 4 YOE, I was offered $110k ish in Austin vs barely scraping 90-100k in Atlanta. I ended up taking an offer in NYC (which was my top choice to begin with).
replies(2): >>26183046 #>>26187046 #
3. SOLAR_FIELDS ◴[18 Feb 21 17:08 UTC] No.26182459[source]▶
levels.fyi is a good resource. Those are typically Bay Area salaries so a good rule of thumb is to take the numbers reported there and knock off 10-20% for Austin.
replies(4): >>26182742 #>>26184146 #>>26188798 #>>26188867 #
4. PNWChris ◴[18 Feb 21 17:28 UTC] No.26182742[source]▶
I recently got a new job in a Midwestern city and made extensive use of levels.fyi (and Blind) during the process. It helps a ton with setting expectations and understanding what wages and equity to aim for (or a bit above even).

There’s a feature on the site where you can click a given level for a given company, and filter the individual offer data to a given metro/city. It’s super useful, even if a bit more labor intensive than being able to use the top-of-the-fold summary stats.

Edit: the link to click is “filter locations”, it’s on the top right after clicking/opening a given level’s info card.

5. dimmke ◴[18 Feb 21 17:49 UTC] No.26183046[source]▶
I live in Atlanta. I get a lot of recruiters pitching me senior SWE jobs from mediocre companies with salary ranges between 115k-130k. I think 130-150 is average for senior roles.

That's definitely lower than other markets, but Atlanta is a much cheaper place to live than most other big cities. Housing is definitely catching up though. The only thing I will say about Atlanta, it gets HUMID for large swathes of the year. The climate is really unpleasant if you're prone to sweating and enjoy being outdoors.

replies(1): >>26187294 #
6. aeoleonn ◴[18 Feb 21 19:12 UTC] No.26184146[source]▶
I'd say knock off more considerably than 10-20%, at least compared to this cost of living calculator:

https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare...

$150k in Austin equates to $236k in Seattle (knock off 35%)

$150k in Austin equates to $296k in SF Bay (knock off 50%)

replies(1): >>26186048 #
7. pivoter ◴[18 Feb 21 21:41 UTC] No.26186048{3}[source]▶
Cost of living calculations are silly. Nobody earning 236k in seattle is spending their entire paycheck on cost of living. Tell me, does a share of Tesla cost more in Seattle than Austin?
replies(1): >>26186641 #
8. andrewzah ◴[18 Feb 21 22:26 UTC] No.26186641{4}[source]▶
$236k in Columbia, South Carolina is vastly different than $236k in Seattle. Cost of living calculations are not only not silly, they're essential.

Stock market shares are the same, but things like gas prices, groceries, utilities, and rent are vastly different.

replies(1): >>26187901 #
9. echelon ◴[18 Feb 21 22:46 UTC] No.26186883[source]▶
I live in Atlanta and grew up in the area. This is my 2021 total comp from workday:

$160k base

$380k equity

$540k total comp

I've been highly compensated in Atlanta for nearly my entire career, except the year when I worked out of ATDC.

edit: I misread that you were looking for Austin figures, not Atlanta. I still think this is valuable for the ATLiens here. We've had tech companies here for over a decade - you just have to know.

replies(4): >>26187442 #>>26187575 #>>26188082 #>>26188836 #
10. nzt48 ◴[18 Feb 21 23:00 UTC] No.26187046[source]▶
Out of all of the new-grad GT students I know, the minimum they were offered was 83k in Atlanta.
11. ethbr0 ◴[18 Feb 21 23:27 UTC] No.26187294{3}[source]▶
Someone from a more temperate climate asked me about sweating in the South once.

"What do you do when it's 90+ and you need to be outside?"

"You sweat and accept that other people sweat."

If you shower once a day, a little sweat isn't a bit deal. I think of it as making sure my pores are clear.

12. rytill ◴[18 Feb 21 23:42 UTC] No.26187442[source]▶
So you thought the OP asked "What software engineer salaries are common in Atlanta at various levels?" and you replied, "Here is my $540k salary. (This datapoint should be included in your perception of what is common in Atlanta.)"
replies(1): >>26188104 #
13. throwaway713 ◴[18 Feb 21 23:57 UTC] No.26187575[source]▶
You make $540k and still want to live in Atlanta? Out of curiosity, do you really like the area more than other places? Or is it because family is nearby?
replies(1): >>26188218 #
14. pivoter ◴[19 Feb 21 00:35 UTC] No.26187901{5}[source]▶
And who spends their $236k salary entirely on gas, groceries, utilities, and rent?

cost of living does not scale w/ salary increases. it's a silly calculation. not essential at all.

Making $236k in seattle is going to be much more fruitful than making $115k in whatever flyover place. this argument is always used by people that need to justify living in their boring towns

every cost of living calculator assumes you spend 100% of your paycheck on cost of living.

replies(1): >>26189373 #
15. technick ◴[19 Feb 21 00:55 UTC] No.26188082[source]▶
My last job in Atlanta (2011) as a senior linux engineer was paying me around 80k, without equity. When I moved to Denver, my next role, doing the same thing, got me in at 110k with additional performance based bonus of 10%.
16. echelon ◴[19 Feb 21 00:58 UTC] No.26188104{3}[source]▶
Yeah.
17. echelon ◴[19 Feb 21 01:13 UTC] No.26188218{3}[source]▶
The simple answer is that my family is here, but it's honestly more than that.

I've spent time in SF, Portland, various cities in Texas, and a year in Florida. (Never the northeast or Colorado, which are omissions - but I hate snow and cold.)

Spent a year in Japan, and a few months in China. Expat life might have been fun if I was still in my 20's...

Despite all of that, Atlanta has always felt right. It's incredibly diverse - way more than many cities - and full of culture. The music scene is on point, and I used to go to shows at least once a week before the pandemic.

I'm frequently on the Beltline (and used to use it to commute to work pre-Covid). The Hooch, ample outdoors, hiking, lakes.

I also own an amazing condo here. 25'' ceilings, penthouse skyline view with 20'' windows, historic all-brick walls. It's amazing. It'd easily cost millions in another city, yet my mortgage payment is less than $2k/mo here.

I'll probably be able to retire at 40. Or start a company with minimal risk.

Georgia has a ton to do, and the cost of living is still incredibly cheap. I can't imagine leaving, just buying a second home.

replies(1): >>26188522 #
18. M5x7wI3CmbEem10 ◴[19 Feb 21 01:49 UTC] No.26188522{4}[source]▶
any suggestions for new grads looking to move to ATL?

job search, places to live, lowest crime areas, good food, etc

19. chris11 ◴[19 Feb 21 02:26 UTC] No.26188798[source]▶
What about equity though? It seems like tech companies headquartered SF/Seattle are more likely to give large equity packages. Sure, startups are risky, but equity is liquid if the company is public.
20. symlinkk ◴[19 Feb 21 02:29 UTC] No.26188836[source]▶
Half a mil is not common anywhere, let alone Austin or Atlanta. I get that you wanted to flex though.
replies(1): >>26189467 #
21. sciurus ◴[19 Feb 21 02:34 UTC] No.26188867[source]▶
You can narrow it down by city, e.g.

https://www.levels.fyi/Salaries/Software-Engineer/Atlanta-Ar...

https://www.levels.fyi/Salaries/Software-Engineer/Greater-Au...

https://www.levels.fyi/Salaries/Software-Engineer/San-Franci...

That shows Austin median at 62% of SF, FWIW.

22. andrewzah ◴[19 Feb 21 03:39 UTC] No.26189373{6}[source]▶
"And who spends their $236k salary entirely on gas, groceries, utilities, and rent?"

I don't see why the argument is about spending 100% of one's salary. We all spend a percentage of our salaries on things like rent, etc, and that percentage is going to be larger in Seattle than Columbia.

"Making $236k in seattle is going to be much more fruitful than making $115k in whatever flyover place. this argument is always used by people that need to justify living in their boring towns"

Imagine unironically calling towns that aren't Seattle, "boring". Alright, chief. Columbia certainly isn't Chicago (my birthplace), but that doesn't make it boring either. People have their reasons for electing to live in different areas, no need to be condescending about it. Yes, $236k is mathematically higher than $115k, this is no surprise to anyone. However that $115k usually goes a lot further in smaller towns than $236k might in Seattle. ...due to differences in cost of living (and the housing market).

"every cost of living calculator assumes you spend 100% of your paycheck on cost of living. "

Basic googling disproves this. Of the cost of living calculators that I looked at, they just listed basic things like school, transportation, gas, etc, and make comparisons between areas. Nothing saying that you need to spend 100% of your salary.

replies(1): >>26198222 #
23. chrisconroy ◴[19 Feb 21 03:52 UTC] No.26189467{3}[source]▶
Bless your heart. He ain't flexin.
24. pivoter ◴[19 Feb 21 21:25 UTC] No.26198222{7}[source]▶
In case you missed it, we are in a comment chain where a poster is using a cost of living calculator to do exactly this

"$150k in Austin equates to $236k in Seattle (knock off 35%) $150k in Austin equates to $296k in SF Bay (knock off 50%)"

That literally only makes sense if you're using 100% of your salary for cost of living. This is what you're responding to.