Everything you said makes sense. Now pick up the phone and talk to a recruiter who is trying to hire employee #15 - the tales and projections you will get will

Everything you said makes sense. Now pick up the phone and talk to a recruiter who is trying to hire employee #15 - the tales and projections you will get will be off the charts. My take is that there are people out there who will thrive for every risk/reward ratio. The misgivings usually arrive when employers misrepresent the risk/reward ratio during the hiring process. One of my favorite questions to ask startups during interviewing is - "In a semi plausible best case scenario how much money do you want me to make?". Answers are usually all over the place.