Negotiating tech salary — leverage, anchors, and what works.

01The four principles

Before any tactic, internalize four things:

1. Recruiters expect you to negotiate. The first offer is rarely their best. They've negotiated more times than you have. Their offer assumes you'll push back.
2. Refusing to negotiate doesn't make them like you. It makes them think you don't know your value. The company that pays you $20K less doesn't respect you more for it.
3. The relationship matters more than the dollar. Don't burn the relationship over $5K. But don't accept $50K less than market because you're afraid of the conversation.
4. Multiple offers are the only real leverage. Everything else is rhetoric. One offer means you take what's given. Two offers means you negotiate.

02Phase 1 — Before the offer

The most important phase. What happens here determines the floor of every subsequent number.

Never disclose your current salary. Many U.S. states and EU countries ban the question, but recruiters still ask in indirect ways: "What are you looking for?" or "What's your range?" The first person to name a number loses leverage. Deflect:

Recruiter: "What's your current compensation?"

You: "I'd rather focus on what this role is paying. What's the
       budgeted range for someone with my background?"

If they push: "I don't share my current comp publicly, but I'm interviewing at the senior level and looking for a fair market offer based on the role's scope. Can you share the range you have budgeted?"

90% of the time, after one or two deflections, they share the range. That range becomes your anchor.

03Phase 2 — Receiving the offer

The offer arrives. Whatever the number, your script is identical:

You: "Thank you so much, I'm really excited about this opportunity.
       I'd like to take a couple days to review the details and think
       through it carefully. When do you need a response by?"

Three things this accomplishes:

• You express enthusiasm (preserves the relationship).
• You buy time (never decide in the moment).
• You ask about the deadline (sets the window for negotiation).

Get the offer in writing. Verbal numbers don't count. Ask for a written summary: base, bonus, equity (with strike price and vest schedule), benefits, signing bonus, relocation. Without those details you can't compare offers or negotiate intelligently.

04Phase 3 — The counter

Take 24–72 hours. Research comp data (Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Blind, your network). Determine three numbers:

• Aspirational: what you'd be thrilled to get. This is your counter.
• Target: what you'd accept happily. This is where you'd settle.
• Walk-away: below this, you decline. Decide before the call so emotion doesn't change the number.

The counter script:

You: "Thank you again for the offer — the role and team look great
       and I'm very interested. I want to make sure we land on a number
       that works for both of us.

       Based on the scope of the role and what I've seen in the market
       for similar positions, I was hoping for a base of $X, with a sign-on
       of $Y to offset some of what I'd be leaving on the table.

       Is there flexibility there?"

Three things to notice:

1. Reaffirm interest first. Doesn't sound like an ultimatum.
2. Justify with market and scope, not personal need. "I have a mortgage" isn't a negotiation argument; "the market rate for this scope" is.
3. Ask "is there flexibility" — leaves them room to come back with a yes or partial yes.

05Phase 4 — Multiple rounds

They'll come back with a revised number — usually halfway between your counter and their original. You can negotiate one or two more rounds. After that, you're approaching the point of diminishing returns and elevated relationship risk.

Strong second-round move: ask for a specific number rather than a range, and ask about different components of comp.

You: "Thanks for moving up — I really appreciate it. I'd like to
       close the gap on base. If we can get to $X on base, I'm ready
       to sign.

       I also wanted to ask about the equity — is the grant negotiable,
       or is it tied to band/level?"

Now you're negotiating two things at once. Often companies have less flexibility on base (tied to bands) than on equity or sign-on. By asking about both, you give them options for how to make the package work.

06Using competing offers

The single highest-leverage tactic. If you have another offer (or even genuine pipeline), use it:

You: "I want to be transparent — I have another offer that I'm
       weighing. Your role is my top choice, but the comp gap is real.
       The other offer is at $X total. If you can get close to that,
       I'll sign with you today."

Three rules:

• Be truthful. Don't invent offers. Most recruiters can sense it, and it's risky if they call your bluff.
• Be specific. Vague claims of "another offer" carry no weight. Give the company, the role level, and the rough comp.
• Give them a clean path. Tell them what they'd need to do to win you. Don't make them guess.

07Equity — the part most engineers misunderstand

Equity comp is where engineers most often get under-paid because they don't know what to ask. Three things to verify:

• Strike price (for stock options). The price at which you can exercise. If the strike is close to the current valuation, options are mostly worthless.
• Vesting schedule. 4 years with 1-year cliff is standard. Some companies do 5 years or back-loaded vesting (less attractive).
• What happens if you leave. 90-day post-termination exercise window is standard for options but punishingly short. Some companies have extended it to 10 years. Ask.

For private companies, also ask:

• "What's the most recent 409A valuation, and when was the last priced round?"
• "What's the preferred-to-common ratio in the cap table?"
• "Does the company allow secondary sales? Tender offers?"

These questions also signal to the recruiter that you know what you're doing. The negotiation gets shorter and the offer better when they realize you're informed.

08The mistakes that cost the most

Naming a number first. Whoever names a number first sets the anchor. Always deflect early and let them name the range.

Negotiating over Slack/email instead of phone. Voice calls move negotiations faster and let you read the recruiter's reaction. Push for a call when negotiating numbers.

Sharing the offer with the existing team. Some recruiters offer to "share the offer with the team to see what we can do." This is a delaying tactic. Push for a specific decision-maker and timeline.

Accepting the first counter-offer immediately. If they revise once, they can usually revise twice. Push gently for one more round before signing.

Threatening when there's nothing to back it up. "If you don't match $X, I'm walking" only works if you genuinely will walk. If you bluff and they call, you've lost all leverage.

Forgetting about total comp. Base is one piece. Equity, bonus, sign-on, 401k match, healthcare contribution, PTO — all are negotiable. Compare offers on total comp, not base.

09When to stop negotiating

Signal that you've reached the end:

• The recruiter says "this is our absolute final offer" — believe them if it's the second time they've said it.
• They start mentioning the team's reaction or executive sign-off — you're at the edge of their flexibility.
• You've negotiated three rounds — past this, the relationship cost exceeds the comp gain.

When you accept, accept gracefully: "Thank you. I'm excited to join. When can I see the formal paperwork?" Don't celebrate, don't apologize for negotiating. You did normal professional behavior.

∞The compound

Salary compounds. $20K higher at signing means $20K + raises and bonuses on that base for every year you stay. Over 5 years, the negotiation conversation that took an hour is worth $120K+ in cumulative compensation. There's no other hour in your career with that ROI.

Engineers who don't negotiate aren't more humble or more team-oriented. They're just leaving money on the table that the company budgeted for them. Take it.