Kik

[kps]

And it's worth noting here that if you decide to accept a job at, say, Google, you will likely be driving.  And probably not living in a downtown environment, either.  Downtown SF to Googleplex is a two-hour commute each way, whether by car or train.  So "Google" and "SF" are really two separate conversations, even if they are only 60 km apart -- kind of like "DTK" and "Toronto".

I think a clear majority at Google and other big companies in the SF Bay area commute by bus, which is more like a hour each way thanks to HOV lanes. Still far longer than I'd want to commute, which is one of several reasons I live here.

[tvot]

Yeah, none of my friends in the valley drive to work. A friend of mine takes the Apple bus from SF to Cupertino every day (they run every half hour from 6 AM on, return as late as 10 PM) and uses uber for everything else except trips outside the city. He's currently trying to convince his wife that it's not worth keeping their car because they use it less than once a month.

I've been lucky as far as walk/bus/bike options here, but I'm not a winter biker and with current employment options I am really tempted to buy a car.

Also, the math I did for myself (single guy, 10+ years in electronics) the salaries were enough for me to afford to rent in Silicon Valley and still make my mortgage payments here. (I was counting on having to spend some time dealing with Waterloo's license system before I could take in rent.) I haven't seen any salaries in KW or the GTA that would allow me to do that... although some of the GTA companies make the commute tempting.

I know I'm mixing threads here, but the thing that gets me is that the salary for a new grad given in the Thalmic CEO's Medium post ($60k?) isn't any higher than CS grads were getting 15 years ago.

[tomh009]

Really, new grad salaries vary a lot based on the individual (university, program, marks, experience, skills, personality, interviewing skills). Not many companies will have a fixed "new grad salary." In any case, based on our hiring experience over the past 10 years, the compensation levels have definitely gone up during that time.

[plam]

Average Canadian salary for a Waterloo Software Engineering grad just out of school is $70k, vs $110 in the US. (We didn't ask about currency, unfortunately, and will be sure to fix that this year). So $60k is significantly below average.

[rangersfan]

One other metric to look at would be what is the rate at which the worker's salary increased with experience in the first five years of their career in both regions.

[SammyOES2]

Average Canadian salary for a Waterloo Software Engineering grad just out of school is $70k, vs $110 in the US. (We didn't ask about currency, unfortunately, and will be sure to fix that this year). So $60k is significantly below average.

Almost certainly 110 in USD.

Common co-op rates for Waterloo Software Engineers in the US is above 110 CAD (adjusted for annual salary).

[taylortbb]

Average Canadian salary for a Waterloo Software Engineering grad just out of school is $70k, vs $110 in the US. (We didn't ask about currency, unfortunately, and will be sure to fix that this year). So $60k is significantly below average.

Almost certainly 110 in USD.

Common co-op rates for Waterloo Software Engineers in the US is above 110 CAD (adjusted for annual salary).

Definitely agree. I can also vouch for the fact typical co-op offers in the bay area are currently at $110k CAD annualized, and generally also include free housing or a generous housing stipend. Co-op offers over $100k USD annualized + housing are common enough in the bay area that I'd be pretty surprised if anyone was accepting a lower full time offer.

I also think Stephen Lake's post about salaries in KW was pretty misleading. There are companies that pay competitive to SF salaries in KW, but they don't do it by paying $65k. There's companies in KW (both Canadian and American) offering $100k/year CAD to new grads (generally plus substantial stock compensation, about $25k/year USD), and they're the companies that are able to actually compete with bay area earnings after cost of living.

[tomh009]

There's companies in KW (both Canadian and American) offering $100k/year CAD to new grads (generally plus substantial stock compensation, about $25k/year USD), and they're the companies that are able to actually compete with bay area earnings after cost of living.

As an employer, I will say that the reality is that some new grads are worth $100K, but most don't merit that level of compensation -- at least not in southwestern Ontario.  At $the 100K level there are many other people available, too, sometimes with much more experience.  As an employer, I won't say "we must get three new Waterloo grads", but, rather, we would look for the three best people we can find for our open positions, within our budget.

And as an employee ... there is more to life than just a high salary.  At least for me.

[rangersfan]

http://news.communitech.ca/news/kik-rais...ion-event/
Kik, the Waterloo-based maker of the popular messaging app by the same name, has quietly raised nearly US$100 million with its recent token distribution event – one of the largest fundraising events in the history of the Waterloo Region tech ecosystem – paving the way for the continued rollout of its Kin ecosystem and what amounts to a significant transformation of the company.

[rangersfan]

Kik is moving into Catalyst137
https://www.therecord.com/news-story/840...s-to-grow/

[rangersfan]

Article on Kik and some more information on their cryptocurrency platform.
https://www.therecord.com/news-story/860...ocurrency/

[rangersfan]

KIK is being sued by the United States Security Commission.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/kitchener-s...-1.4451518

[rangersfan]

Kik is shutting down its messaging app and laying off 80 employees while it is in a legal battle with SEC.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/kitc...-1.4607874

[panamaniac]

I believe the shut down is permanent.

[robdrimmie]

Ted Livingston's post on Medium has some additional information: https://medium.com/@tedlivingston/moving...c6290a6453