Just say no to options, and demand market level salary. I interviewed at an early stage start up in the mid west. The CEO lamented "People here just don't under

Just say no to options, and demand market level salary. I interviewed at an early stage start up in the mid west. The CEO lamented "People here just don't understand stock options" and as the first technical employee I'd be "by far the highest paid person in the company". I said "People do understand stock options, they're a gamble" and declined the offer. I don't want to be the highest paid person at any company.