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I currently work as a fullstack software developer and I just got offered a very generous job that's about 2x my current pay at a startup company. In addition, my current job has no holiday or benefits and this startup is offering a very generous benefits package and tons of vacation time.

I really want to accept it but I'm also in the process of interviewing for one of my dream jobs at Google, and if I got it I would be getting a 3-4x pay increase and my career would be set. There's no guarantee I get this job.

What I'm planning to do is accept the new job, sign the papers, and keep interviewing at Google. Then if I get into Google quit and turn down the offer I just signed.

Is it legal to do this? Would it cause harm to my career? Getting into Google is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I don't want to pass it up. I also don't want to stay at my current job because I have got a much better opportunity and because there's no guarantee I'd get into Google.

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  • @JoeStrazzere Anything can happen. There's no guarantee I can get into Google, and the company I got an offer for right now is much better than what I currently have.
    – softwaredev1
    May 11, 2022 at 17:51
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    Where are you in the Google interview process? BTW, it's not a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you can do well in the interview now, you can in a few years too.
    – Michael McFarlane
    May 11, 2022 at 18:07
  • @MichaelMcFarlane Not really. If I get into Google now I'd be on track to making very high compensation. In a few years I could easily get into a unicorn startup as a senior paying half a mil or more. Stay at the startup and I'll be stagnant. Most likely lose out on millions of dollars on potential income. Take into account most developers have a short career, and this indeed becomes a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not to mention Google would pay much more, take into account compound interest, investments, etc... you get the idea.
    – softwaredev1
    May 11, 2022 at 18:11
  • Also who's to say I can get into Google a few years from now? Maybe I'll get lucky this round and get in... maybe I'll be older and dumber in a few years. Maybe the process will just be so much harder because of the flood of everyone and their grandma majoring in CS.
    – softwaredev1
    May 11, 2022 at 18:16
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    Regarding the close votes, you might want to clarify in your title that you're asking about the ramifications of the choice you've already made, not asking which choice to make.
    – BSMP
    May 11, 2022 at 19:30

4 Answers 4

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Is it legal to do this?

That depends on your contract with the startup should you decide to accept their offer.

Would it cause harm to my career?

You will definitely burn bridges with the startup and if anyone at the startup has any connections within your industry they can spread the word and make you a less desirable candidate in the future regardless of your skills and experience.

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Perhaps someone can call this plan unethical, but first and foremost you have to look up for yourself. this new job will improve your financial situation considerably and you should take it.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and you cannot be sure you will get the Google job, and if yes, how long would it take

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  • yeah, I see that OP already has an offer in one hand, and a process of interviewing on the other hand... This scenario seems a bit like it's already set: the only choice I see is to take the offer and stop and thank Google, or decline offer and go all-in with the interview process... the latter wayy more risky IMO...
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    May 11, 2022 at 18:56
  • In other words, there is few to no window of time to play here. Different scenario would be if OP were in the process of interviewing on both companies... there usually one has more time, as prospect offers are more synchronized, and there is chance to get to the "ideal" scenario (that is, eventually have both offers at hand and just make a choice). However, it seems unlikely that OP can delay accepting/declining the offer in hand enough time to complete the Google process and land an offer there I fear...
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    May 11, 2022 at 18:58
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Be careful what you wish for. Because you're going from a stable job to a startup AND you're starry-eyed about working for Google, I'm not getting the sense that you've got a whole lot of experience.

The Google job will entail a lot of bureaucracy. The pay and benefits might be fantastic, but you'll be in a whole different ball game working for such a huge company. Jobs will be well defined. But there will be micromanagement on a level that you haven't experienced before.

On the other hand, the startup company might have great money to put in your hands, but only for now. The jobs are not as well defined because, well, it's a startup and they're still figuring things out. Expect long hours, and potentially doing the work of several people, and a lot of conversations about "sweat equity". Hopefully, your paychecks will arrive on time. "Is the startup actually earning any money" would be a great question for you to get a straight answer about.

Now, for your question. As the others are responding here, you'll definitely burn some bridges by doing this switch-a-roo with the startup company. The reason why I've outlined the stuff above is simply the fact that what goes around comes around. There might not be any legal penalties for you ditching the startup, but then you might find that you get the job at Google and have a completely horrible experience.

Why not just slow down, and find a new job that's appropriately incremental to your current experience AND not so darn risky? You might be biting off more than you can chew right now.

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First, as a matter of honor and ethics, do not sign an offer you do not intend to go through with.

Now, assuming that, your next task is to evaluate the cultures of the two places. To do so, ask your Google recruiter for a conversation with a current employee. This is a side chat with a Google employee to answer your questions. It is not an interview of you (although the employee you chat with will report back). Ask tough questions about what it is like working there. You can do the same of the start up, but you likely have enough information already.

After that chat you should have a sufficient understanding of how happy you'd be at either place. Then, it is up to you to decide on your next gamble, double or nothing.

Or if you want a simple answer, take the extant off that you like rather than try for the unlikely one you may not.

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  • Disregarding honor and ethics (because it always only goes one way, from the employee to the employer, and never from the employer to the employee). Would accepting an offer and then going back on it in a month or two be illegal or cause problems?
    – softwaredev1
    May 11, 2022 at 18:09
  • Also I've had employers void contracts after signing or ghost after verbal offers because they found someone better for cheaper or they had second thoughts. Why should I care about honor and ethics if its always only going to be one way and used to disadvantage me?
    – softwaredev1
    May 11, 2022 at 18:19

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