Engineering Manager | PlanetScale Global Negotiation Guide
Negotiation DNA: Private ($1.2B Valuation) | Serverless MySQL Platform (Vitess-based) | Open-Source Foundation | Higher Risk/Reward
| Region | Base Salary | Stock (Equity/4yr) | Bonus | Total Comp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco HQ | $210K–$260K | $150K–$340K | — | $310K–$460K |
| Remote US | $195K–$245K | $130K–$310K | — | $285K–$425K |
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Engineering Managers at PlanetScale lead teams building a serverless MySQL platform on Vitess. At PlanetScale's company size, EMs have extraordinary organizational impact — each team's work directly shapes the product and company trajectory. EMs must be technically strong enough to lead database engineering teams (the bar is equivalent to senior individual contributor database expertise). The dual mandate of open-source Vitess contribution and commercial platform development adds leadership complexity. [Source: PlanetScale EM Comp 2025-2026]
Level Mapping: PlanetScale EM = CockroachDB EM = MongoDB EM = Google L5 Manager
Global Levers
- Database EM Technical Depth: "Database engineering EMs must be technically deep enough to make architectural decisions. I'm leading teams where correctness is non-negotiable."
- Open-Source + Commercial Dual Mandate: "I'm managing teams that contribute to Vitess open-source AND build the PlanetScale commercial platform. This dual mandate adds unique leadership complexity."
- IC Parity: Staff ICs at PlanetScale can earn $350K+ in equity. EMs must match or exceed.
- CockroachDB/MongoDB EM Counter: Both offer competitive EM comp.
Negotiate Up Strategy: "I'd like equity at $325K over 4 years with acceleration. I'm leading database engineering teams with a dual open-source/commercial mandate." Counter at $280K-$310K equity with acceleration is competitive.
Evidence & Sources
- [PlanetScale EM Comp — Levels.fyi 2025-2026]
- [PlanetScale Engineering Leadership — Vitess + Platform]
- [Glassdoor PlanetScale Engineering Manager Comp 2025]
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