PM w/ 10 YOE, TC >1.5CR, AMA

tier 4^

1. I started by consulting a super-early stage startup. When they raised funding, I was the natural choice to build and maintain their systems, so getting 12 lakhs was easy, negotiated over one evening and started the next day.

2. With the second company, the founder really liked me and knew the founders of my first company. I had a lot of leverage and I used it well.

3. +1 on the hustle. I know of people who make 20CR+ by climbing up the ranks steadily. That’s where I’d like to be in 5 years.

Net worth is about 3CR. I’d say I’d save about 60-70% of post-tax income.

40% in index funds 30% in cash or cash equivalents (like CRED Mint) 5% long-term debt (EPF and the like) 20% vested equity in past startups
5% angel investments

Your networth is way too low for your claimed income and savings percentage. Numbers don't tally

1. I started as an engineer, self-taught.

2. YOE includes non-PM experience. 6 as engineer, 4 as PM.

3. I’ve worked for ~4 companies so far, excl an entrepreneurial stint (no funding, no exit).

4. 2 stints at series A startups (one b2b and one b2c) and 2 stints at decacorns (both b2c).

I switched jobs roughly every 2-2.5 years. I wanted to stay longer but it just didn’t work out. Most of my comp increases came from switching.

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-articulated responses. Read through the whole thread, and it gave me some good perspective.

I'm a PM with a total of ~7 YOE joining a seed stage firm at ~40LPA. Hoping to get to your level some day!

1. 6 years as non-PM. PM career has evolved quite randomly. I’m doing more IC now than I was 2 years ago (maybe attributable to hiring freeze and not being able to hire reports).

2. It’s 99% WFH, so I have a lot of flexibility baked into my day. I workout with a personal trainer in the mornings, start my day around 10:30/11, take a few calls, maybe an afternoon nap. 3-5 is the most important part of the day with lots of calls. I spend a couple of hours after 5 to write documents and PRDs (if I’m behind, which is once every 2 weeks). I’d say I have a relatively balanced life. Weekends are chill with no work pressure or calls.

3. Peer pressure and politics. I’m always competing with my peers for promotions and raises and visibility. That sometimes takes precedence over good product work.

4. I’ve made mistakes, but I can’t just imagine undoing a mistake without undoing the good stuff. Gun to my head, I’d try and stay in one company for longer. My stints have been short and I really enjoyed knowing everyone in the company (v. starting over every 2 years).

That was really informative. Thank you!

Don’t want to dox myself, but it’s a well-known consumer company worth >10BN.

I don’t have the time to search through hundreds of employees, see their experience and match it with your profile and then identify you. This thing is easy to do in small start ups, not mid or high level companies. Anyways, your choice if you don’t want to reveal

1. On most days, I’m glad I’m a PM. The work-life balance is better. There’s a perceived increase in status. I feel like my work has impact and my decisions matter.

2. Engg is, however, better paid at every level. They also have better benefits (like non negotiable wfh, allowances, etc.).

I’m okay with my choice, but both engg and PM are great professions to be in, relative to everything else.

1. I self-learnt, mostly to solve my own use cases. I was really interested in games, so I made a stupid game in PHP that really taught me coding.

2. I was able to connect with the founder quite well. He was non engg too and was struggling to keep up with tech. It was a young company, 2 years old, struggling to scale their systems.

Thanks. Makes sense

Yea and no, Coinbase is 99th percentile pay, almost every other company pays lesser for the same level.

Yes but for 10 YOE I know plenty of Sr PMs at Salesforce and Microsoft who make well above 1.1Cr. Uber and Coinbase are outliers because they pay this at the 5 year mark.

Not sure why you’d think that, but feel free to ask your network for base rates on Director, Product salaries at unicorn+ startups.

Somewhere between Associate Director and Director.

Wow.. AD and above with just 4 yrs of PM exp. quite lucky 🍀