Having worked at an early startup, I share the opposite view: startup options are much worse than they look. The expected cost of not working at a big company i

Having worked at an early startup, I share the opposite view: startup options are much worse than they look. The expected cost of not working at a big company is much larger than mere 10% (go check levels.fyi if you're curious) that the author calculated. The upside of stock options is also bound by the slim chance of any startup's successful exit and dilution that comes after each round. Here's a good calculator (http://optionsworth.com/ http://optionsworth.com/). If you have 1% equity (rarely given) of a company that exits for $100M, you gross ~$1M. That's before dilution and tax. Aside from the financial cost, you also sacrifice your career mobility because you are forced to exercise your options if you leave the company before a liquidation event (rarely happens before an exit). Do not work as an employee at a startup if your primary motivation is making a lot of money. On the other hand, if you want to start your own startup, I think working at a startup is a great way to minimize your own risk while maximizing learning if you're like me ;)