That pretty much depends. Imagine a startup that offers stock options, which you only can use, if it ever goes public. And in the end it doesn't (for example it

That pretty much depends. Imagine a startup that offers stock options, which you only can use, if it ever goes public. And in the end it doesn't (for example it's bought), and resulting amount you get as compensation for those options is a lot lower than what it could be from the public scenario. So it's simply a gamble. While base salary is a solid metric.