> I'd rather slowly and steadily squirrel away savings and grow my 401k and other investments while actually enjoying my work. I call this the startups::"activ

> I'd rather slowly and steadily squirrel away savings and grow my 401k and other investments while actually enjoying my work. I call this the startups::"active investment" versus slow-and-steady::"index investment" comparison. For the majority of software engineers who are not rock stars with commensurate 400K+ total annual compensation plans, it's not clear to me participating in the startups/SF-Bay ecosystem is statistically worth the financial instability risks, just as for the majority of retail investors, index investing is currently the most statistically consistent path to wealth accumulation. If you are a "retail" engineer (perhaps there is a signaling indicator like if you aren't negotiating a compensation package directly with VC's or founders and not their representatives, then you're "retail"), then like most retail products, the vast majority of your value, half and more, is reserved for capital holders. It is your call whether or not if there is any statistically increased long-term job precariousness involved with accessing that startup/SF-Bay ecosystem, and if the tradeoff is worth it to your personal situation.