Xoogler here. Of note is the fact that your FANG "level" means very little outside of FANG, so if this is something you define yourself by, I'd think twice befo

Xoogler here. Of note is the fact that your FANG "level" means very little outside of FANG, so if this is something you define yourself by, I'd think twice before leaving. If you've earned your stripes fair and square though, you'll be fine, although you'll be making a lot less money (assuming you're at least the equivalent of Google Staff SWE money wise; if you're 5 and below, there's a good chance you'll be making _more_, not less). Having been through an early stage startup wringer myself, I'd advise against starting a company right out of the gate. If this is something that you want to do eventually, go work at a startup for a couple of years - you don't have to be a front-line grunt and you don't have to commit indeterminate amounts of time to it. Get a position where you'll be exposed to what the execs do: head or VP of something or other, and to the business side of things. Stuff that _you_ will have to do if you start your own company. It's a completely different existence, you might decide it's not for you, and it's difficult to get out of it without destroying your reputation once you've made promises to people and took VC money. Plus also consider that your current FANG overlords might not necessarily want you to come back. Also protip: if there's a chance that you eventually might decide to re-join the same FANG company, the best time to leave is right after a promo, or else they'll try really hard to pigeonhole you into your old level, no matter how ridiculous that is several years down the road.