Netflix median engineer comp is about $500k, if I recall correctly. They can go significantly higher. It's really not a myth that they'll typically beat out the rest of FAANG.
Trading firms can beat Netflix, but the variance in pay is much higher and in my experience they tend to be more selective (and there are fewer roles available). I wouldn't say the typical engineer at DE Shaw is earning "way more" than the typical engineer at Netflix.
Source: I have friends at Netflix, Citadel and DE Shaw, including a director at Netflix and a VP at DESCO.
Trading firms can beat Netflix, but the variance in pay is much higher and in my experience they tend to be more selective (and there are fewer roles available). I wouldn't say the typical engineer at DE Shaw is earning "way more" than the typical engineer at Netflix.
Source: I have friends at Netflix, Citadel and DE Shaw, including a director at Netflix and a VP at DESCO.