Indian-origin IT worker at Meta quits despite Rs 6.50 crore annual salary; here’s why

In the heart of Silicon Valley, Rahul Pandey, an Indian-origin tech lead and manager at Meta, was living the dream. With an annual salary exceeding $800,00 (roughly over Rs 6.5 crore), he was among the top 1 per cent of income earners in the country. Despite the success, Pandey decided to quit his well-paying job and later explained why.  

In a LinkedIn post, he said, “My journey was not a straight shot to counting $100 bills. In fact, for the first six months after I joined Facebook, I was extremely anxious. I felt imposter syndrome as a senior engineer, I struggled to adapt to the company's culture and tooling."

Joined Meta in 2017

Pandey joined Meta in 2017, stepping into a senior engineer role. The initial months were challenging as he struggled to adapt to the company's culture and tooling. Despite these struggles, Pandey chose to stay with the company, focusing on improving his performance.

By his second year at Meta, Pandey had hit his stride. He developed a tool that was widely used by engineers across various divisions, saving them significant time. His efforts didn't go unnoticed. According to a report by Business Insider, he said, "I not only had the technical knowledge to complete my work, but I also had enough context to lead projects. This is a critical part of being a senior engineer and beyond (staff or principal engineer).” 

As appreciation for his hard work, the was promoted and received about Rs 2 crore of equity in addition to his basic salary.

A Need to Change

However, as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, Pandey began exploring options outside of Meta. "After almost ten years in tech, I had achieved some degree of financial freedom, and I realised how much more I could learn beyond engineering," he shared.

In 2022, Pandey made the bold decision to leave Meta and start his own venture, Taro. His goal? To help other software engineers grow their careers. Beneath the surface, Pandey claimed he was grappling with immense anxiety and imposter syndrome. 

Despite walking away from a lucrative job, Pandey remains optimistic about his future. "My total compensation in 2021 exceeded $800,000 due to sustained strong performance and a run-up in the Meta stock price. At that level, the money doesn't actually feel deserved: luck plays a huge role," he shared.

"My total compensation in 2021 exceeded $800,000 due to sustained strong performance and a run-up in the Meta stock price. I was in the top 1 percent of income earners in the country! At that level, the money doesn't actually feel deserved: luck plays a huge role," he shared.

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