The whole point of OPs remark was the payout is not the reason to work for a startup. (precisely because most startups never end in a payout) There are many ot

The whole point of OPs remark was the payout is not the reason to work for a startup. (precisely because most startups never end in a payout) There are many other reasons why a startup would be attractive to some people. Professional autonomy, personal growth and learning, different work culture to name a few. For many people, once you're earning "enough" to cover your expenses the pay difference between employers is worth the trade off. In the end, unless you're founding the company yourself you're always working "to make someone else rich". That's completely irrelevant to your personal choice of employer.