Need Honest Advice – SWE at a Magnificent 7 Company, 1Y10M In, Feeling Stuck

I’ve been working as a software engineer at a Magnificent 7 company for the past 1 year and 10 months — this is my first job out of college.

I got promoted from IC1 to IC2 at 1 year 2 months, and currently have a decent comp. This year, I’m expecting to make around 42–50 LPA (base + RSUs), although about 50% of that is in stocks, which have boomed lately.

Sounds pretty solid on paper, but here’s where I’m stuck:

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What’s bothering me • Lack of engagement from my manager: He’s based in the US and used to include the India team in virtual standups and 1:1s. Lately, though, he’s MIA — standups and 1:1s are cancelled or not happening, and now most communication happens with the US-based team in their in-person meetings. • Low-priority and unchallenging tasks: I used to get good projects (especially pre-promotion), but now I mostly get spillover or lower-priority work. I’m not learning much, and it feels like I’m stagnating. • Communication issues: When I do ask for a more critical project, I sometimes get one — but the communication overhead becomes insane (late night + early morning calls), which is starting to impact my health. • No openings for internal transfers: I’ve considered switching teams internally, but nothing is open at the moment.

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My concerns • I’ll be vesting a major chunk of my RSUs in March and June, so switching before that doesn’t make financial sense. • While I can prep for interviews, I’m worried about team matching and managerial rounds during the switching process — especially since I haven’t been on high-impact projects recently. • I don’t want to go to startups — I prefer the stability and peace of mind here. The company doesn’t have a layoff culture, which is rare these days. • Base salary is something I want to improve — many companies offer 35–45 LPA base at this level, and while my total comp is great, base is still important to me. • Based on my calculations, I’d need at least a 35% increase in total comp to make a switch worth it.

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My Dilemma

I’m trying to figure out: • Is it okay to just stay where I am, despite the low-impact work, if I’m being paid well and have stability? • Will this stagnation bite me later if I’m not working on meaningful projects now? • Is there something I should be doing right now (e.g., prep, network, build a personal project, etc.) while I wait for RSUs to vest or internal opportunities to open up?

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TL;DR

Working at a Magnificent 7 company for 1Y10M, promoted to IC2, good comp (~42–50 LPA), but: • No impactful work lately • Minimal communication from manager • Internal transfer not possible right now • Don’t want to go to a startup • Want better base salary, but switching only makes sense with ~35% comp hike • Staying feels safe, but I’m worried about long-term growth

What would you do in this situation?