intergalactic data centers + a job to liberate your inner-Poseidon
Seafood jobs + a chat with a startup recruiter about negotiating equity
Heyo amigos and amigas,
Today we're talking equity: Why it's having a moment, how to get your fair share, and why you should never stop asking for more.
Also, you could be a software engineer at a seafood startup that is decidedly not Red Lobster. Let your inner-Poseidon reign.
Besos,
Jordan đ
A Quick Note About SPEEDRUNâŚ
Founders, itâs time. a16z speedrunâs upcoming Winter/Spring cohort (SR006) runs from late January through April 2026, with applications open now through September 28 at 11:59 PM PT. Secure up to $1M for your startup by applying today.
All about equity
I asked fellow recruiter Jeremy McLeod - who has recruited for startups like Albert and Builder.io - about what people often get wrong about equity and how they can get the % they want.
Why applicants should care
Previously, you had to wait five to seven years for some liquidity event where the company might get purchased or IPO. Now secondary sales for foundational employees have reached peaks weâve never seen before.
It should always be on the table
You should not be taking any foundational role in a tech company without equity. If a company isnât offering, youâd have to ask yourself why they donât want your outcome linked to business.
Whatâs fair âŚ
Ask people in your network: What do you see as typical in going for equity for this type of role? Hereâs some of the parameters of the business. What do you think I should be asking for? Reach out to a recruiter. Say: âIâm going to be negotiating for this role. What have you seen recently?â
Cash vs. equity?
Early career, salary tends to be pretty important. As roles become more senior, compensation mix starts leaning more toward long-term incentives like equity. Understand where your risk appetite is on salary vs. equity. Most startups will negotiate on a sliding scale. If equity is more important to you, let them know. Companies love to know that equity is the most important thing to you because it says youâre attaching yourself to the mission.
(ps, note from me, jordan: when I joined Riot, I told them I wanted less equity and more base. Then, when I got promoted, I told them the same thing. Now, after having been through the other side of the Riot acquisition, I can assure you that was the W R O N G choice!!!)
Not all equity is created equal
Thereâs equity, then thereâs equity. Thereâs equity with companies that have got tier 1 founders and tier 1 backers. If theyâre involved with those tier 1 VCs, that equity may well be much more valuable than a higher percentage in a company where the traction or the trajectory is not necessarily as great.
You get another shot
Equity is not a one-and-done situation. You always have time to get new grants. If you are a great employee in a business, they will give you more equity without you asking. You donât have to nail it in the first conversation. Equity is just like salary in terms of negotiation - every time you have a salary conversation, you should be including equity as well.
ÂĄOne more bonus tip!
Understand triggers. It used to be that you had a year to exercise equity after you left the business. Now we see five years, seven years. Understand not just the percentage, but how often does it vest? What are the cliffs? Is it a consistent percentage?
many j.o.b.s.
Bonfire Studios, the Irvine-based game studio from ex-Blizzard vets, is building a brand-new multiplayer game. Theyâre backed by Riot and a16z, and hiring artists, producers, sound designers, a social media lead, etc. Check out their jobs here.
Starcloud is putting data centers in space (??). With their $10 million seed, theyâre placing several engineers in the far more terrestrial location of Redmond, Washington. Unfortunately, you will have to stay grounded for these jobs.
đ¨ REMOTE job alert! Tempo has made 1) blockchain for payments, and 2) a mesmerizing website. Theyâre super early stages and are hiring a number of roles including engineering, marketing, design, gtm, and more.
Teton, with its brand new $20 million series A, is hiring a bunch of engineers in Copenhagen, including a 3D vision engineer, a Reactive Native mobile engineer. Teton is developing really cool tools for healthcare professionals, including eldercare providers. A very worthwhile mission.
Endex, which is building an Excel-native AI for financial modeling and analysis, raised its $14 million seed in August. Theyâre looking for engineers and other tech-types at its NYC offices. P.S. Their job descriptions are refreshingly brief.
Enterprise resource planning platform Keel needs a technical product specialist and a frontend product engineer in London. đââď¸ Their careers page lays out the interview process in detail! Worth taking a look if you want to give it a go.
SafetyKit makes agentic AI for risk and compliance. Theyâre searching for engineers in its SF offices. They announced a $27 million series A earlier this year.
Shinkei is bringing back ⌠American seafood? Ya know what? Why the hell not. I fucking love a scallop. Theyâre hiring for a bunch of positions (including a âWildcard Engineerâ). The team is based in El Segundo, CA.
Construction platform Miter needs engineers in NYC and SF. Perks include fully paid medical, unlimited PTO, and 16 weeks of parental leave (for foster and adoptive parents too).
Casca needs your help processing business loans with AI. This is actually a super powerful part of the countryâs economic engine. Lots of cool jobs in SF here, including a head of engineering ($250â$250K) and a senior forward deployed engineer (starting at $180K).
đ¨ REMOTE job alert! Renewable energy project management company Euclid is looking for a REMOTE senior fullstack software engineer. They have a hot, fresh $20 million series A!
Toby Talks
Self-help for jobseekers: try a little context engineering. Thatâs the art of giving AI the right background info to turn ChatGPT (or other answer engine) into your personal resume optimizer and interview prep buddy. Feed it the job description and your background, and watch it craft responses that actually hit different. Just remember to add your own voice to the output so it doesn't sound like every other AI-generated application.
Required reading
I made this little tool to help job seekers find jobs that arenât posted on LinkedIn. Itâs super simple to use. Check it out.
Skill Up launched This Week in Video Games late this summer. Has anyone been reading? Thoughts? Feelings? Prayers?
All of Appleâs new hardware that was announced this week.
A piece to ponder from The Verge: Is vibe coding the end of software engineering?
đ¨đťâđť Thanks for coming to see me. Ya te extraĂąo.
PS. Donât forget to apply to the a16z talent network. Real people with kind hearts are on the other side.