I see it a bit differently. For me, the risk-taking comes partly from a confidence (that could sometimes be characterized as over-optimism) and partly from the

I see it a bit differently. For me, the risk-taking comes partly from a confidence (that could sometimes be characterized as over-optimism) and partly from the feeling that my gains from the risk are worth it. I like adventure, but I don't fall into the category of "They don’t need to be rewarded for risk, because they actually get utility out of risk itself." people. Taking a risk (e.g. quitting my (Principal Dev manager) job at Microsoft and creating a startup) is rewarding in itself (regardless of how well the company does financially). However, for me, the primary reward is not the risk. The reward is what I get from taking the risk (e.g. work on more interesting stuff)