Desk·2026-09-23
Vertex still leads the Boston SWE book
Same software-engineer title. Vertex prints the Boston CF machine. Moderna prints the Cambridge mRNA book. Name the city before the next seat.
Vertex typical $255,000 against $245,000 at Moderna.
SWE typical
Vertex typical sits ~1.04× Moderna
Same title. Boston CF machine clears $255k typical. Cambridge mRNA book clears $245k. Tight band, same city.
How to plan it
Sit Boston as two biotech books, not one market
A software engineer planning 2027 in Boston should treat Vertex and Moderna as two IC books ten thousand dollars apart, not one Kendall Square band. Vertex prints $255k typical on the ledger with a $168k base. Moderna prints $245k typical with a $165k base. The CF machine compounds a commercial product book in Boston. The mRNA platform compounds a Cambridge pipeline that resets with each program. If you need the 2027 cash year and can sit a Boston product loop, take Vertex first — it leads the pair by about $10k. If you want the platform seat and can live with the thinner lead, sit Moderna — but name the tradeoff. Do not treat a $255k CF year and a $245k mRNA year as the same next seat. The city is shared; the books are not.