not a programmer, but product manager. I feel your pain on startup #1. The startups are a crapshoot, they can be a great stepping stone, but assume the equity

not a programmer, but product manager. I feel your pain on startup #1. The startups are a crapshoot, they can be a great stepping stone, but assume the equity is worth zero. The right 'big company' is going to be more lucrative in most cases by a lot.