As a black man in the tech industry…

I stand out. Always have. Always will. As a 12 year tech industry veteran, I learned to harness that exposure, negotiating deals with Forbes 500 companies and startups with an ACV (Average Contract Value) north of $2M as a technical deal structurer at AWS (Amazon Web Services). The “mere exposure” effect , where increased exposure to non-negative stimuli breeds advantage, advantages familiar archetypes and common demographics during negotiation. To combat this, I studied Negotiation and Influence without Authority under MacArthur-winner Dr. Michael Sacks, whose courses taught me professional methods to generate leverage and chart the course for any negotiation.

why i negotiate

I consult individual contributors and early-to-mid career employees because I know what it’s like to enter one-sided negotiation… and win. I entered the tech industry as the son of two Newark schoolteachers, the first in my family to move to Silicon Valley as a wide-eyed eighteen year-old. First-time employees, women, and minorities all negotiate less than the median worker, and when they do they still negotiate for lower salaries. Recruiting platforms and salary transparency platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and independent recruiters help employees, but corporations themselves are their primary revenue source, and ultimately, their priority customer.

Smith Labs is the independent, non-exploitative solution for workers negotiating to change their life.

Specialty Scenarios

• Initial Job Offer

• Promotion

• Expansion-of-Role (implied promotion; boss leaving the company)

• Exit-planning

For hostile negotiations or alleged wrongful exit scenarios, we recommend consulting an Employment lawyer, as Smith Labs does not provide Legal Advice.