How a $670,000 Stripe offer got this ML infrastructure leader above Figma's normal comp ceiling

Aki came to us after being laid off. His specialism was ML infrastructure, and his central doubt was whether anyone else could market a niche that specific on his behalf.

In two months we landed him 13 interviews and a $670,000 offer at Stripe. He used that offer to negotiate with Figma, who went above their regular compensation band, and he accepted a Principal AI Engineer role worth $855,000 in total compensation.

What we did and did not do here

Worth stating plainly, because it is the most interesting thing about this story. The Figma role was one he had found himself, through references. What our search produced was the leverage: a competing offer at Stripe large enough to move Figma off its normal ceiling.

“Wolf has been a fantastic support regardless, and it did land me really good offers that I would have accepted if not for the Figma offer.”

He also confirms he would have taken the Stripe offer, and that other live pipelines were cut short only because Figma closed:

“If there was no Figma at that point, those would have also continued on.”

Why he signed despite the scepticism

“They went over all the data of success and all the metrics, the process, testimonials, and the whole thing about the guarantee of landing an offer that I like. Just looking at the track record, it definitely induced a lot of confidence, in addition to my own research.”

And how he weighed the fee, having just been laid off:

“For me the 8,000 was definitely worth it if it would help me land something that I like, because I was laid off. It was not a huge number compared to what the outside could be.”

The search in numbers

• 13 interviews in 2 months
• A $670,000 offer at Stripe, used as negotiating leverage
• $855,000 total compensation at Figma, above their regular band
• Level: Manager and Principal. Function: AI and Machine Learning