Typical comp shape
Backend engineers usually earn rsu or double-trigger rsu pre-ipo. Common employers include Stripe, Databricks, Cloudflare. Double-trigger RSUs at late-stage pre-IPOs mean no tax until liquidity, then a large W-2 event at IPO.
What Alaska changes
Alaska has no wage income tax, which is structurally favorable for backend engineers with meaningful RSU comp. The savings vs a CA-resident colleague can be $30-60k per year at senior IC levels. That math is why Austin and Seattle are the two top relocation destinations for Bay Area tech workers.
Planning cadence
For a backend engineer in Alaska, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor). A move-out question — if you're considering leaving Alaska for a high-tax state, time it around vesting.