Really curious to hear more about this.. $numbers would be awesome, but if you (understandably) aren't willing to share, could you give more info on your skillset, professional experience, etc?

What you're saying and what Valve says are two very different things. The handbok didn't just gloss over the compensation bit - they go into detail about proper compensation due to contributed value etc.

Edit: Just looked at your linkedin. You sure do have an interesting combination of skills.

I think you made the right choice unless taking 1/2 the salary for a couple years would have been a stepping stone to your own game company. I hate the 'passion' term because it's often the term thrown around by owners looking for employees. Of course the owners are passionate since they stand to gain a lot of money from the companies success.

I will passionately bust my ass for 12 hour days if I'm paid properly.

I do passionately bust my arse more like 14hrs a day and many times 7 days a week. And I'm just looking for places where that is rewarded.

My biggest flaw is I'm not a 501 programmer and I will accidentally choose an opportunity that lights my passion but doesn't pay my bills. I've done that in the past and to be clear it was very painful and soul crushing and something I do not want to repeat again in my life.

I know more than most people that more money will not make you happy.. I've been in tech for 30 years and I've had all sorts of levels of compensation, failures and successes. Always the differentiators have been: The people I work with, the passion I feel for the problems we are trying to solve and the acknowledgment I get for my contribution.

Money is just a version of acknowledgement but clearly not the most soul fulfilling type. The respect of my peers and the opportunity to learn and work on solving big problems are much more rewarding. But to do all those things I need to pay my bills and put some away for my later years when I wont have the same earning power.

It seems like you're wanting SVP / C-staff level pay (from your linked in profile), and it doesn't surprise me that Valve wouldn't pay that inflated amount.

Income Equality at work.

To be fair, you do seem like a talented person and I'm sure you are excelling at your current and past positions, but maybe you just aren't a good fit for Valve since they don't need more SVP level decision makers.

But then he says that he might not be able to afford groceries with his proposed salary at Valve?

It was a casual way of saying he has bills to pay. Had nothing to do with actual groceries as far as I can tell.

"501" is not an accepted term, and doesn't even make sense. Is it supposed to mean someone who programs at 5:01 or someone who doesn't? Someone who plays in the office all night, or someone who makes progress on a healthy schedule?

No, it was more likely in relation to 5:01. See the various articles this past week about the "501 manifesto".

Ha, ha - completely off! Thank you for correctly me politely. Knowledge gained.

Money isn't a great motivator. It takes an ever increasing reward to get people interested. Read 'Drive' by Dan Pink.

Money isn't the greatest motivator, true. But under paying is a huge demotivator.

It's one thing if everyone has to play scrappy. But if there is plenty of gravy to go around, and your CEO is on the forbes list, I'd expect market rate or better.

It's less about greed and more about not being taken advantage of while someone else gets rich off of your back.

So people should go be employees somewhere at 1/2 pay and bust their ass so the owners can sell and never have to worry about money again? Life can stop being about money, when everything required to live stop costing money. Food, shelter, education, healthcare all require money. Want to have kids, money. Want to travel and see the world, yep that also cost money.

Startups are exciting and fun, but their success is gauged by a single metric - money. When startups get acquired there are endless congratulations on this very site. And rightly so, the owners should be rewarded for their work.

In the end I guess you're right. I don't belong at a startup as an employee making 1/2 my salary. I either need adequate pay and/or an equity stake to work at one.

If you're focused on the inequalities of a business' income structure, you'll surely be disappointed by them all.

Life shouldn't be all about the money, agreed, but it is reasonable for someone to require enough salary to not run into the red every month paying for basic living expenses. Also, while money isn't a good motivator (see D. Pink), not enough money can be a terrific de-motivator.

Like anything, there's a reasonable-middle as to the salary requirements for an individual.

Given that Valve apparently makes >6 mill in revenue per employee yearly, I sincerely doubt that anyone they choose to hire is going into the red from normal living expenses.

Valve is far from a startup. They're over 15 years old and something like 300 employees.

I am very aware what Valve is and isn't, and I never said Valve is a startup.

Then why mention it in the context of this discussion?

Surprised to hear this. A couple years ago, local (LA-area) recruiters tried to get me to interview at Valve based on some very impressive salaries others had received.

Then again, I'm a programmer. They seem very intent on collecting the absolute top of the market for game programming talent. For the record, I love Valve but am happy in LA.

But now I wonder how they decide what to offer new hires, based on this process.