The FAANG Fixation Is Failing Latinas‘ Career Growth

“But it’s FAANG!!!”

That sentence alone has kept too many Latinas stuck in roles that underpay, under-promote, and undervalue them.

Let’s talk about it.Working at Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, or Netflix isn’t the dream for everyone. Especially not when the cost is your visibility, leadership, and sanity.

This isn’t about rebellion. It’s about power, and how we reclaim it.

The Problem Isn’t FAANG. It’s the Myth of Meritocracy That Surrounds It.

FAANG has long been branded as the end goal in tech. It’s the finish line in the career advice pipeline: “Just get into one of the big five. Everything else will follow.”

But here’s what I see on the ground, after working with dozens of Latinas in tech:

• Senior ICs (individual contributors) going 3+ years without meaningful title changes

• Staff engineers with deep product expertise repeatedly passed over for promotions in favor of external hires

• Managers quietly pushed to “prove culture fit” year after year, even while delivering

• Equity packages that look lucrative but are structured to vest on timelines that align with company retention, not employee wealth

The glass ceiling exists in FAANG, it’s just polished and lined with RSUs.

How FAANG’s Leveling System Hurts Latina Career Progression

FAANG’s leveling systems are rigid. You may come in as a Level 4, thinking you’re close to senior, but that “L4” means something very different at Amazon vs. Google vs. Meta. The result?

• You’re hired under-market for your true skill set

• You spend 1–2 years learning to navigate their specific performance frameworks

• And when promotion season comes, the bar has shifted again and suddenly, you’re not “impacting at scale”

This is especially harmful for Latinas, who are often over-mentored and under-sponsored in these companies. Visibility doesn’t translate to mobility.

Why Equity Isn’t Enough for Latina Career Growth

I’ve reviewed dozens of offer letters and here's a truth I rarely hear out loud:

Most FAANG RSU packages for mid-level roles are structured to reward compliance, not autonomy.

You get four-year cliffs, back-loaded vesting schedules, and zero say in roadmap decisions. So even if you're earning $200K+ on paper, you're still executing on someone else's vision and stuck waiting for your next promo cycle to get a shot at influence.

Contrast that with early-stage startups or mission-aligned tech companies where:

• Equity comes with board visibility or early advisory input

• You can negotiate flexible or front-loaded vesting

• You’re actually helping shape strategy, not just deliver it

Yes, there’s more risk. But there's also real ownership.

Startup vs FAANG: Which One Builds Real Power?

Let’s break down the core myth:

“If I leave FAANG, my comp and prestige will drop.”

Not necessarily. If you’re thoughtful, it can actually go up. Here’s how:

Some of my clients doubled their income by leaving FAANG roles for smaller, lesser-known companies because they finally got paid for the scope they were already delivering.

Power Doesn’t Always Wear a Hoodie and Work at Google.

Here’s the hard truth: Latinas often enter FAANG with the belief that visibility will lead to equity, emotional and financial. But visibility without structural power is performative.

If you're the only Latina in the room but can’t shift hiring practices, affect budget decisions, or challenge bias in review cycles, you’re not positioned to win long-term. You're tokenized.

I’m not saying “never go FAANG.” But I am saying: stop acting like it’s the only game worth playing.

Before You Say Yes to the Next FAANG Role, Ask:

1. What’s the true cost of “prestige?” Will I grow here or just survive the cycles?

2. Will I own anything? Not just stock, but roadmap, process, hiring, policy?

3. What’s the exit strategy? If I stay here two years, what doors will open or close?

And maybe most importantly:

1. If I said no to this, what else becomes possible?

FAQs: Career Growth Beyond FAANG

• What does FAANG stand for?

  FAANG is an acronym for Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. These are considered the top five U.S. tech companies due to their influence and compensation levels.

• Is FAANG outdated?

  While still relevant, the FAANG term is losing ground. New tech players and startups now offer better pay, flexibility, and leadership opportunities, especially for women of color seeking more than prestige.

• Is it better to work at a startup or FAANG?

  It depends on your goals. FAANG offers structure and stability, but startups often offer more ownership, faster promotions, and influence. For many Latinas, startups can be the faster path to leadership and financial growth.

FAANG Can Be a Chapter, Not the Whole Book

If you’re a Latina in tech, you’ve already made it further than the system expected. But that doesn’t mean you have to follow the script.

You don’t need to “wait your turn.” You don’t need to trade your voice for a logo. And you sure as hell don’t need to chase prestige at the expense of purpose, ownership, and joy.

Want to explore what a power move looks like beyond FAANG? I help Latinas in tech negotiate better comp, more influence, and exits that set them up, not set them back.