How do I determine how much a Internet startup is willing to pay for a programming salary?

Question

Perl/PHP Programmer with 5 years experience for a 2 year old web company with high growth and backed by Sequoia Ventures.

The job market is great, so I'm guessing $125K, but am I overshooting too far?

I'd like to know for the San Jose (Bay Area) market and the Los Angeles market.

I already know that $100K in the Bay Area is possible and not overshooting, so that is a baseline.

Answer 1

You don't say what part of the country you're in, and that would matter too, but I'm guessing you are overshooting by quite a bit.

For an internet startup you might be able to get stock or options though, which if they succeed could end up worth quite a bit.