Case Study #5
Derek Ma: Ex-Meta → $180K base + $1.5M in equity
Derek Ma
Software Engineer (ex-Meta)
“"He gave a competitive offer because he wants me excited when I join."”
Watch Derek's story
In Derek's own words
“Honest and direct”
Super honest and direct, doesn't try to oversell. He offered calls with insight as a former big tech engineer and has an organized roadmap that covers all the fundamental concepts if you are lost in the sauce and have no idea where to start.
Verified on Trustpilot ↗
The result
Ex-Meta → $180K base + $1.5M in equity
How Derek went from ex-Meta to $180K base + $1.5M in equity at an AI startup
Derek came off a Meta tenure and wanted the next role to be the AI startup he was excited about — not the next big-tech conveyor belt. The pipeline put him in front of the right hiring manager, the loop closed in a single call, and the offer came back with equity worth more than most senior packages on the market.
- 1
The starting point: ex-Meta, picky about the next seat
Derek wasn't desperate — he was selective. Ex-Meta engineers get recruiter spam; what they don't get is the specific AI-startup target with the right stage, equity structure, and leadership. We narrowed the target band hard before any applications went out.
- 2
Straight to the hiring manager
The pipeline put him into a conversation directly with the hiring manager, not another recruiter-screen loop. For a senior ex-FAANG candidate that's the only loop that matters — the people with hiring authority need to see the fit themselves.
- 3
Verbal offer in one call
The technical bar was never in question. The HM converted the conversation into a verbal offer inside a single call — the kind of outcome senior candidates get when the resume, the targeting, and the live pitch are all aligned before the first conversation.
- 4
$180K base + $1.5M in equity over 4 years
Final offer: $180K base plus $1.5M in stock vesting over 4 years. Derek's words on the comp: 'He gave a competitive offer because he wants me excited when I join.' That line is the whole point — the right company competing for you, not you competing to be hired.
How we worked with Derek
HiringFunnel runs the same 4-phase playbook for every member. The specifics vary by stack, seniority, and target compensation, but the shape stays constant: target, generate pipeline, prep the interviews, negotiate the offer.
- 1
Phase 1 — Targeting and resume calibration
Before any applications go out, we lock down the target: seniority band (senior, staff, or principal), tech stack focus, salary floor, and a do-not-target list of company shapes that historically waste time. The resume is rewritten for ATS keyword pass-through against that target — once, calibrated, not per-application.
- 2
Phase 2 — Pipeline volume on autopilot
Automated LinkedIn applications run daily at 20–50 per day, exclusively to roles matching the targeting profile. The dashboard surfaces every application sent, every response, and the current pipeline stage. The member spends zero time on Easy Apply busywork — that time goes to interview prep.
- 3
Phase 3 — Live interview coaching
Once recruiter replies come in, we run weekly 1-on-1 prep: technical screen rehearsal, system design under live whiteboard, behavioral STAR drilling for the actual companies on the calendar. The goal isn't generic prep — it's company-specific reps for the next 7 days of interviews.
- 4
Phase 4 — Offer negotiation
When offers land, we run the counter-offer playbook: competing offers, base/equity/sign-on splits, leveling conversations, and the exact scripts that have pushed offers $30K–$80K higher. Most members recover the full subscription cost in a single negotiation conversation.
Want results like Derek?
Weekly 1-on-1 coaching from a software engineer earning $300K+. Same playbook, your turn.
Apply Now