Negotiation Course: Reneging An Offer

Backing out after accepting an offer (*"reneging on the offer"*) is unfortunate but happens more frequently than you think. Imagine that you accepted a job offer, but two weeks later, you finally get an offer from another company that is better in every way. What do you do?

First, prevention is the best cure: try to get all the offers around the same time.

If the timing mismatch is unavoidable, you should do what’s best for you: don’t worry too much about the company.

In the US, employment is at-will, so there’s nothing legally preventing you from joining. Of course, you may have to give back any kind of signing bonus.

There may be reputational damage: talk about why the opportunity is incredibly unique and you hope to work with them again. Reneging on a large company is not as big a deal compared to a startup.

Backing out after accepting an offer ("reneging on the offer") is unfortunate but happens more frequently than you think

There's more to working in tech than just shipping software. It's vital for your career to build deep professional relationships and make real friends at work, especially if you're looking to grow to senior levels.

"Should I negotiate?" Answer: “Is water wet?” It's not often just sending a few emails can literally make you thousands of dollars. It’s worth a shot.