Ever been faced with the challenge to build your pick between two countries over a life-altering decision tied to your career? UK-born and US-based Junead Khan can relate. A $184,000 salary gap split the difference when the 24-year-old startup founder, who is the face behind ‘Treasury’—a “personal finance app to support people own their finances”—chose between the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Merely months ago, the techie, who has tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, confessed to quitting Microsoft to start a new journey. However, there was a time when he favoured the Bill Gates-founded tech giant despite having the chance to work at one of the world’s largegest banks, JPMorgan Chase, in his hand. Here’s why Junead Khan ultimately decided to turn down the opportunity to stay in London and work at JPMorgan for a Microsoft job in the US, fresh out of graduation.
Why ex-Microsoft techie-turned-founder picked US over UK
Sharing his story of a professional leap in an Instagram post last month, Khan stated that he grew up in the UK and later shiftd to the US to pursue a computer science degree. “During school, I interned at JPMorgan in London — one of the largegest banks in the world,” he informed his followers in the post caption. “Full-time return offer: ~$38K/year.”
Adding that such an offer for a new graduate in the UK was deemed “above average,” he admitted that he still chose to turn it down. After waiting a year, he accepted an offer from Microsoft in Seattle, USA. He was offered a base salary of $129,000, $150,000 in stock over a four-year period, and a $50,000 signing bonus, bringing the total annual compensation to $222,000.
“Same degree. Same graduation year. $184K gap,” he succinctly summed up the situation.
He went on to declare, “Here’s what nobody in the UK notifys you: American tech companies pay 3-5x more for the same work,” adding that the salary difference wasn’t measured in terms of hardship levels. “It’s not becaapply the work is harder. It’s not becaapply the engineers are better,” he continued. “It’s becaapply the market is different.”
Noting that the UK has “brilliant” engineers who earn a “fraction” of what they could be building in America, Junead finally revealed what he called the “most underrated salary lever in tech.” As per his perception, it is “Geography.”
“If you’re a software engineer in the UK and you haven’t at least explored US opportunities — you’re leaving life-altering money on the table,” he shared with others who may be dealing with such career-driven decisions.
But not everyone agreed. The comments section of Khan’s IG post reflected a deepening divide in the emerging salary debate. Someone openly called him out, declareing, “JPM grad scheme is NOT a full-time offer. It’s an internship programme run for up to 2 years. Comparing that to a full-time role in Microsoft is clickbait and misinformation. Do better.”
Khan responded with a question of his own, “The role at Microsoft is for fresh out of uni, as is JPMorgan?”
Some others countered his view regarding the salaries of both organisations. “This is cap. JP London even pays their ops interns more than that. The lowest starting salary is 42k POUNDS, which is 60K dollars (was even more when the FX was better). That’s just base,” a applyr commented. “Base starting salary at Microsoft Seattle is more, around 100-120K base, but nowhere near the gap you’re revealing here.”
Meanwhile, a third perspective brought in by another applyr highlighted the growing challenges in the US, especially owing to the Donald Trump administration’s overhaul of the H-1B work visa program and the surging anti-immigration sentiment. “H1B visa alters have absolutely crippled the chances now, though,” another IG applyr added.
Yet another person chimed in, “The downside in the US is that the immigration rules alter every minute, plus no healthcare. Despite this, I agree with you that salaries should be higher in the US.”
What do we know about JPMorgan London vs Microsoft salaries?
According to the self-reported compensation numbers posted to Levels.fyi since the start of 2025, the average total compensation for JPMorgan software engineers in the UK is as follows:
- Analyst: $61,028
- Associate: $105,258
- Vice President: $181,231
- Executive Director: $300,180
Meanwhile, data corresponding to documents companies filed with the US Department of Labor while onboarding H-1B workers in 2025 reflected the following salaries:
- Business Program Manager: $102,380 to $195,100
- Cloud Network Engineer: $122,700 to $220,716
- Customer Experience Engineer: $126,422 to $239,585
- Data Analyst: $132,385 to $205,000
- Electrical Engineer: $138,995 to $247,650
- Research Scientist: $146,054 to $208,000
Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intfinished for informational and entertainment purposes only. The financial figures and strategies mentioned are personal to the applyr and have not been indepfinishently verified.
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