I got three job offers for SDE2. I accepted the offer (30LPA) with the lowest pay but loved the interview process, loved how they didn't waste my time (offer rolled in 2 weeks). Even their Google reviews and Glassdoor has 5 stars. Early stage startup, but they have a tech product with a very bright future (seed funded). And culture is amazing, founders are bright.
Second offer was from a mid-sized fintech startup (series C funded). Offer was for 34 lakhs. The interview process was okay but that set me off was that they wanted to conduct another design round after my final Hiring Manager interview as their team categorised my interview as "Weak Hire". They even told me that to my face. 😂 I cleared the subsequent design round but the whole process was lengthy (1 month).
Third offer is from an AI company with horrible glassdoor reviews. They took 2 months of time to finish the entire interview process. Even the product doesn't seem like it will survive in next 4-5 years. Offer from them is 42 LPA.
I got laid off a couple of months ago, so instead of higher pay I went to the company where I could learn more, get good peers, and increase my skillset. I hope that this decision makes sense. I tried to negotiate with Company A but they were unwilling to go beyond 30, I did mention I have other offers which are higher.
I didn't include the joining bonus and ESOP components in all companies, but they are there.