What Each Company Type Looks For: Startup vs FAANG
Comparison table of technical requirements and soft skills by company type: Startup, ScaleUp, Enterprise, and FAANG. Understand what to aim for.
π Startup
Pre-seed to Series A
Pre-seed to Series A
What they look for
Red flags for them
Interview process
Typical salary (USD/month)
π ScaleUp
Series B to Series D
Series B to Series D
What they look for
Red flags for them
Interview process
Typical salary (USD/month)
π’ Enterprise
Large company / corporation
Large company / corporation
What they look for
Red flags for them
Interview process
Typical salary (USD/month)
β FAANG / Big Tech
Top 20 tech companies
Top 20 tech companies
What they look for
Red flags for them
Interview process
Typical salary (USD/month)
Comparison by dimension
| Dimension | π Startup | π ScaleUp | π’ Enterprise | β FAANG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding speed | π΄ High | π‘ Medium-high | π’ Low | π‘ Medium |
| Code quality required | π‘ Medium | π΄ High | π‘ Medium | π΄ Very high |
| Developer autonomy | π΄ Maximum | π‘ High | π’ Low | π‘ Medium |
| Structure and processes | π’ Little | π‘ Medium | π΄ A lot | π΄ A lot |
| Algorithms focus | π’ Low | π‘ Moderate | π’ Low | π΄ Very high |
| Job stability | π’ Low | π‘ Medium | π΄ High | π‘ Medium-high |
| Equity / stock | π΄ High (risky) | π‘ Medium | π’ Low/none | π΄ High (valuable) |
| Base salary | π’ Low-medium | π‘ Medium-high | π‘ Medium | π΄ Very high |