Hi everyone,

I’m choosing between two offers and would love some advice.

Background

• 4 YOE as a Machine Learning Engineer
• 135K TC (125K Base + 10K Bonus)
• Recently focused on MLOps and platform engineering
• Interviewed at Google for L4 → got down-leveled to L3 → received offer

Offer 1: Startup – Senior Solutions Architect:

• Total Comp: 175K (base only, no stock or bonus)
• Role: 50% presales / 50% coding (client-facing projects)
• Pros:

- High variety and ownership
- Fast growth potential
- Likely path to leadership/management

• Cons:

- High workload
- No brand name advantage
- Startup risk

Offer 2: Google

• Role: L3 SWE-SRE
• Total Comp: ~170K (130K base, 35K stock, 5K bonus)
• Pros:

- Google brand on resume
- Stability and benefits

• Cons:

- L3 feels like a step down
- Role may be monotonous or low-impact
- Less learning and ownership

What I Care About:

Long-term compounding and salary growth

Moving toward leadership / architecture

Avoiding Leetcode-heavy grind

Maximizing impact, not just writing code

Question:

Is it worth accepting the Google L3 offer for the brand, even if the work feels beneath my level?
Or is the startup the better long-term move, despite the risk and higher workload?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!